Trigger Warnings

TRIGGER WARNINGS

By John Tustin

“The Indigenous Rainbow Lollipop Review invites one and all to submit their poetry. We believe that tribal fealties and race/sex/gender take precedence over the poem so be sure to tell us all about that. We also insist you provide trigger warnings in your cover letter even though you have no clue what will trigger us. Figure it out.” with love,

the editors

Warning!

this poem is about love

this poem is about loss

this poem is about death

and the funerals of cuddly despots

this poem eviscerated a little girl’s collection of stuffed animals

this poem is about fat people

who are fat because they eat bad food and too much of it

and that is their own fault

this poem will contain the words

FUCK

CUNT

SLUT

REPUBLICAN

DONALD TRUMP

BITCH

HETEROSEXUAL

this poem will have several pictures of an erect penis

entering the brain of a horny middle-aged woman

this poem will not speak for itself

will not explain or draw a diagram

because this poem hopes you’re smart enough

to come to your own conclusion

brave enough to read what makes you uncomfortable

adult enough to crawl out of the womb

of safespace

and read words without getting into the fetal position

and complaining to your college’s dean of inclusivity

this poem is sorry your daddy didn’t express his love to you

the way you wished he would

this poem is sorry your mommy beat you with a wooden spoon

because you wouldn’t finish your supper when you were six years old

but these things

are not the poem’s fault

this poem will eschew proper capitalization

punctuation

and also fuck your feelings

this poem is looking at you right now

and hoping you have a reaction

good

or bad

this poem is winking

this poem is crying

this poem is balancing a ball on its nose

and clapping for the reward

of a single fish

this poem is two saggy balls

lying in the wet spot

this poem is based on a true story

the names have not been changed in order to trigger the innocent

I hope you like it