wendy’s just released
the rick and morty mello yello mixes
to commemorate
the new fifth season
“taste the interdimensional mixes
of portal time lemon lime
& berryjerryboree.”
& i know that
this is just another
two-corporation sales ploy
in los angeles
they turned
an entire wendy’s
into a morty’s
just like when the simpsons movie came out
& they turned a seattle 7-11
into the kwik-e-mart
but i don’t just wish to taste
soda suds of adult swim advertising
this carbonated sweetness
doesn’t just bring joy
my geeky love for cartoons
isn’t why my sweet tooth aches with grief
because yes
this is one of my top three favorite shows
but as i sip
my sci-fi syrup concoction
all i can hear is
the beloved memory
of my dear friend fin
who loved this show so much
& never lived
to see their twenty-first birthday
let alone
the fourth season
of their favorite show
& i know it might seem silly
that a goofy sci-fi show
filled with gross jokes
holds the weight
of the biggest joy i can find
inside one of the worst things
that’s ever happened to me
because to grieve
is not just to cry
it is also to find
the echo of the dead’s laughter
inside your joy
wendy’s just released
the rick and morty mello yello mixes
to commemorate
the new fifth season
“taste the interdimensional mixes
of portal time lemon lime
& berryjerryboree.”
Mercury-Marvin Sunderland (he/him) is a transgender autistic gay man with Borderline Personality Disorder. He’s from Seattle and currently attends the Evergreen State College. He’s been published by University of Amsterdam’s Writer’s Block, UC Davis’ Open Ceilings, and UC Santa Barbara’s Spectrum. He’s @RomanGodMercury on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.