Lost in Space
By Leah Mueller
(for Jeff)
In space, no one
can hear you ask,
“Do you have
a Prime account?”
at Whole Foods.
Nor can they offer
free shipping with
a thirty-day trial membership.
The Washington Post,
with its endless chatter
of neoliberal propaganda,
fades into distant memory.
Just you, with your
fishbowl helmet, framing
your baldness
like a translucent crown.
Fly into the outer reaches
of the galaxy, colonize Mars
into an enormous warehouse.
No one will clock in
late for their graveyard shift.
You won’t need
to count the days
before your dividends
arrive: that final billion
dollar deposit, until
you explode into
a magnificent supernova,
molecules scattering
their alms to a plundered
and impoverished cosmos.
Somewhere, a woman
orders underwear
from a small online company.
Somewhere, a programmer
finds discount software
at the last Radio Shack.
You are oblivious space dust,
particles floating like
dollar bills through the galaxies,
one for each remaining star.
Leah Mueller is an indie writer and spoken word performer from Bisbee, Arizona. Her most recent books, "Misguided Behavior, Tales of Poor Life Choices" (Czykmate Press), "Death and Heartbreak" (Weasel Press), and "Cocktails at Denny's" (Alien Buddha) were released in 2019. Her new chapbook, "Land of Eternal Thirst" will be published in summer, 2021. Leah’s work appears in Rattle, Midway Journal, Citron Review, The Spectacle, Miracle Monocle, Outlook Springs, Atticus Review, Your Impossible Voice, and elsewhere. Visit her website at www.leahmueller.org.
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