[Issue 2023.67]

‘How Magic Will Help You Take the Bastards Down’, Beth Cato

Art © 2023 Melkorka

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start the hot water kettle
with a glare fueled
by the infuriating recollection
of how your boss said
‘oh don’t worry, we’ll investigate’
and ‘we’ll talk to him,
it won’t happen again’

the gnome in the pantry
heeds your mood and pulls out
a packet of chai
with a particular kick of
cardamom and black pepper

‘I could make them all sorry,’
you say aloud, though the gnome
has already wisely retreated
within the kitchen walls

the tea steeps as your
your photographic memory flicks
through your grandmother’s spell book
with its thousand
delightful flavors of vengeance

but no
no
you can’t use your magic like that
but that doesn’t mean you must be
‘the nice girl’ either
you’re sick of being the nice one
agreeable
tolerant

you levitate the tea infuser
onto the saucer with painted periwinkles
you breathe in spicy fumes
and open up your cell phone
to endure the audio clip from earlier
the recording you didn’t happen to mention
to your boss just yet

there is a time and place for magic
this
this is the time for technology

you back up the file
to multiple databases
sip your chai
summon the TV remote
to your hand
and smile

© 2023 Beth Cato

[Issue 2023.67]

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