"Approaching" by Michelle McElroy
I'm asked if I'm getting an M.R.S. degree at my aunt's funeral by Samantha Padgett
and my mother is the first to laugh.
It’s a joke. It’s just a joke.
No need to get my panties
twisted like tongues.
No need to make this about me.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
I wish there was a body here,
but there’s only ashes.
I wish I was more than a body here.
I promise I won’t
get my panties twisted.
I promise my panties
come down around my thighs.
Stop it, stop it, stop it. I’m at the funeral
and I’m searching for the punchline.
It’s me, isn’t it?
I’m at the funeral and I’m remembering
how a boss once told me
I’m not the type of girl who gets raped.
Thank you, thank you.
I guess I don’t deserve it,
I guess I don’t deserve,
I guess, I guess I don’t
deserve, I guess I don’t,
I don’t deserve--
Thank you, I’m sorry.
I know it’s a joke.
It’s just a joke. It’s just a
It’s a joke. It’s just a joke.
No need to get my panties
twisted like tongues.
No need to make this about me.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
I wish there was a body here,
but there’s only ashes.
I wish I was more than a body here.
I promise I won’t
get my panties twisted.
I promise my panties
come down around my thighs.
Stop it, stop it, stop it. I’m at the funeral
and I’m searching for the punchline.
It’s me, isn’t it?
I’m at the funeral and I’m remembering
how a boss once told me
I’m not the type of girl who gets raped.
Thank you, thank you.
I guess I don’t deserve it,
I guess I don’t deserve,
I guess, I guess I don’t
deserve, I guess I don’t,
I don’t deserve--
Thank you, I’m sorry.
I know it’s a joke.
It’s just a joke. It’s just a
Samantha Padgett is an MFA Candidate at Sam Houston State University. Her work has appeared in Moon City Review and New Ohio Review. She lives in Huntsville, TX.
Michelle McElroy is a native New Englander who studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Skinner Auction House and Historic New England. Interested by how light and shadow can transform everyday scenes are constant inspiration. These are images that she may see on early morning runs, midnight snacks in the kitchen or simple observations of everyday scenes that people can connect with or create a narrative of their own. Michelle’s work has been accepted into various juried shows in galleries around the United States and actively shows at local venues, such as libraries and cafes. She is a member of the Cambridge Art Association, Edward Hopper House, and Center for the Arts in New London, New Hampshire. Michelle lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two cats. Instagram: @michellemcelroyart Website: michellemcelroy.com
