Justin Sirois

NSIILTOBIGOTB

I can’t seem to get to work today
so I might as well do this
instead of scrutinizing the profile pic
or checking out that new contraption
that scrutinizes the profile pic. See that?
It’s difficult to tell if the cuteness
would fall off the face
if the glasses fell off the face, too. Does
anyone have sex with glasses on, anyway?
No!

*
nerds are so popular now. I blame
credit default swaps & DIY whatever. The coolest
nerds don’t do a heck of a lot of work –
they just make people laugh
or they’re paid for what they know
not what they do. I took off your glasses
& kissed you. Marshmallows, ummm
fabric softener, winter &
who’s your favorite?
Nerd, I mean.
Oh wait, wait, wait, & you might not
have had glasses on at all

*

there’s good work & bad work.
But there’s good work done poorly
& bad work done well.
It’s so hard to tell what work is your work
& most of the time it doesn’t matter
to anyone but you

*

pick me!
That was a waste of time, huh?
Pick the best for the job, the
person you think would do the
best job

*

once you actually start working on
the thing you don’t want to do, it’s not so bad.

Sometimes I trick myself!
I’m a Jewish paralegal
working for a Nazi malpractice firm – file
boring under totally, file masturbation under why not?
I’m an asthmatic serf who’s good with a knife.
I’m part wolf / part sioux chef from Manhattan.
I’m the first paper cut


*

fall off the face of
the face in the mirror
tuck & roll
into the break room

Justin Sirois is a writer living in Baltimore, Maryland. His books include Secondary Sound (BlazeVOX Books, 2008), MLKNG SCKLS (Publishing Genius, 2009) and Falcons on the Floor (forthcoming) written with Iraqi refugee Haneen Alshujairy. His novel DMBSTRCK will be finished soon. He also runs the Understanding Campaign with Haneen and co-directs Narrow House. Justin received individual Maryland State Art Council grants in 2003, 2007, and 2010 and a Baker "b" grant in 2010.