I knew I had to try it.
Boys want mystery.
Boys want strawberry-kiwi.
I could be his lip balm.

I carefully selected myself:
Dr. Pepper Lipsmackers,
A slim volume of poems
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Glitter face gel, a wild cherry
Clearly Canadian. I must have
put something in there
to make it seem natural,
chewed gum in its wrapper
and something so when I lose
the purse, he can find me—
a scrunchie with a strand of hair
or a folded note addressed to a friend.

All that curation for the wrong boy
to tease me, to grab my bag,
dig his dirty hands inside.
Detention for me who screamed,
what the hell are you doing?
while ripping myself out of his hands.

This bag is not for you.



Anna E. Fullmer is a Library Assistant at Cleveland Public Library in the Youth Department, slinging story times and songs about the ABCs. She sings in a band and misses playing shows. She writes songs, poems, and to-do lists. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Averse Magazine, FEED, and Dreams Walking. She offers editorial services for Versification’s THE REJECTS.  Twitter @anna_fullmer