Cakewalk

Michael Chang

CAKEWALK

the moneychanger
chased out of temple
the teary-eyed voter
offering her two cents
loser graphic designer
just a cog in the machine
work in politics
so u have a long memory
but become v forgiving
if she’s pregnant w/ javier’s baby
thx javier
this fox is a whistleblower
knocked up or knocked around
i will not be slapped
unlike mustachioed labor leader
who goes by d. taylor
d is for donald
man-child boasting i could be his prodigy
i say u mean protégé
since i’m the prodigy
insistent on keeping busy
as a trauma response
crime scene painstakingly reconstructed
one of the biggest problems w/ my brain
is i can’t trust it
my shrink tells me take that shit elsewhere
to relive my glory
she recounts in harrowing testimony
breathtaking cake & brandy discernment
someone toxic but enchanting
she likes diamonds
but she loves conflict

Michael Chang

Michael Chang (they/them) is the author of TOY SOLDIERS (Action, Spectacle, 2024) & THINGS A BRIGHT BOY CAN DO (Coach House Books, 2025). They edit poetry at Fence.

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