Technical Difficulties

The puffer jacket makes me twice as wide

as I actually am. I’m sweating in the heat

of the grocery store, nowhere left to hide

while the scanner refuses to recognize the meat

or the kale. I flip the plastic bunch around,

trying to find the lines, the hidden key.

The red light flashes with a chirping sound,

and everyone in line is watching me.

There’s a sticky residue on my right thumb

from a price tag I tried to peel away.

I feel frantic, and heavy, and mostly dumb,

like a dog that’s forgotten how to play.

"Unexpected item in the bagging area."

It’s just my hand. It’s just my trembling skin.

The machine has a sense of cold hysteria.

I wait for the clerk to come and let me win.