Office Supplies

by Tanya McDonald, Billie Dee, and Michael Dylan Welch

First published in Hedgerow #140, December 2022, page 16. Originally started on the Hyak ferry from Bremerton to Seattle in October of 2009 (after a Seabeck Haiku Getaway weekend), forgotten for 13 years, and then the last two verses were polished off in October of 2022. The Hyak ferry retired from service in 2019.

the paperclip

bent into a heart—

hold music Tanya

out of whiteout

winter afternoon Billie

fiftieth birthday—

my manager’s doodle

on the pink slip Michael

hole-punch confetti

stuck to the janitor’s shoes Tanya

printer jam

the instruction manual

in broken English Billie

retirement speech

into the shredder Michael