Boundary St.
Anyone could get
used to the sound
of the freeway.
The brake dust
that enters the
Lungs. The highway
underpass that creeps
up on home, corridor
to my heart, the beige.
The original mock-ups
by the Los Angeles
Urban Planning
Committee promised the
110 as a lush
greenspace complete
with native foliage.
The getting there, the lies.
The standstills.
The whir of endless
construction enters your
subconscious after
five days. I believe
it alters your circadian
rhythms. The life of
parks, cement,
domestic animals.
“Walking distance”
expands its radius.
There’s being alone
or being a little
too alone. Wherever
you are.
Misalignment
Portrait of a Woman by Google
F, 23
In a relationship
Average or lower income
Industry: not enough info
Renter. [1]
Considers selling her eggs. Might have endometriosis. Has not confirmed identity. Worries. Can afford premium face cream with financing. Cashed in on Tampax® class action. Wasn’t the one doing the suing. Ate a recalled onion. Relatively flat chested. Looked into insurance coverage for nose job. Rejected. Incognito window implies shame. Searching for dental floss that doesn’t clog landfills. Does not have rare brain tumor–still reads the article. Will purchase normal dental floss if marketed as women’s shapewear. Higher than average scroll speed. Low on storage. Tries to limit the scope, in too deep. Thought of shooting a gun once but got scared. Most likely to press buttons between 10:00pm to 1:00am. More likely to pull trigger after daylight savings. Requires simpler language. [2] Doesn’t like being watched. Wants to know what love has got to do with ads.[3]
[1] https://myadcenter.google.com/controls?ref=my-account&ref-media=WEB&hl=en
[2] https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/?entry_point=data_policy_redirect&entry=0
[3] https://myadcenter.google.com/controls/categories/relationships
Grace Mathews is a poet and educator from Los Angeles, California. She is currently receiving an MFA from San Diego State University, where she teaches writing and works for Poetry International. Her poems have been published in The Los Angeles Review and Zone 3, among others.
