The greeter at the local Walmart
never gets it right.
Maybe it’s a lot to ask
of a person checking receipts,
perhaps hating every moment
to look up and see me
in my hat, boots, and jeans
which I become
which become me
under the scrutiny
of a highlighter
and high-beam
fluorescent lights.
I am a woman;
I like thinking of myself as a woman,
but if someone slips and says “Sir”
I take it, and like that too.
I’d rather have Sir whispered like a prayer,
if only for a moment, before eyes shoot up,
lips curl
to spit “Ma’am” like a curse.
Mel Sherrer (She/Her) is a poet and performer. Her work examines her experiences as a Black and Indigenous/Multiracial, lesbian woman. She received her B.F.A. from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, and her M.F.A. from Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Mel teaches and conducts Creative Writing and Performance Literature workshops. Her poetry is/will be featured in Storm Cellar, Variety Pack, Platform Review, SWWIM, Interim Poetics, Santa Fe Writers Project, The Racket Journal, Limp Wrist Magazine and others. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.