The Padded Petting Zoo

There is no such thing as being cut off
when you’ve felt the sensation of coat hangers between your toes.

So in exchange for ignoring the personal space of a female cop,
they roll you out on a gurney where they replace your arms with seatbelts.

You do not know the phone number of your emergency contact.
They tie the tongues of your mismatched shoes.

Because girl, this night is about to be interrupted by haloperidol shots to the arm,
while your mother is sobbing and writing down your social security number
on 17 forms in the next room over.

Winter coat walls and EKG temporary tattoos line holocaust clavicles
that were blacklisted by their owner.

Find your best friend in a woman with zebra striped arms,
who takes to comforting you with petting zoo hands.
You look at her toes. She’s not wearing any shoes.

Carly Weiser is the resident Production Manager of Alleyway Theatre and Buffalo United Artists. Her poems have been published in Maudlin House, Lady Literary Magazine, Vending Machine Press, Mixtape Methodology,Peach Mag and more. She tweets @cultcarly.