Emily Hunt

from COMPANY                              

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It's rare to pull a bad bloom
straight from the mass
without breaking a stem
or losing a petal,
so we must cut
the band at the base,
let it snap & then inch
the flawed flower out
preserving the shape.
We then nudge another
into the bunch
at exactly the angle
that allows for the head
to face out and fill the hole.

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On a mellow mobile shift
I work in a van
parked in a still neighborhood
near the beach
handwriting personal notes
from the system.
One says I love you
but is signed Best,
A few are written to semi-famous people.
There is often not enough room
on the pre-creased paper card
for all the customer has to say.
It is odd to read
brief sentences and phrases
addressed to the loved ones
of the sick or recently dead
and to Ashton Kutcher
alone in the van
with a view of the water
earning 13 an hour,
to read and then write
good luck, you rock,
see you tonight!

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There is something about a person
at home midday
receiving an order,
not hearing their voice from the van.

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On certain days
I leave with a reject bouquet.
Yellow tulips, our staple.
Sweating on the bus
in long sleeves I've worn
for the cold warehouse
ignoring these stems,
their cupped heads
crossing my thighs,
I scroll through job listings
on websites I've memorized—
"constantly perform desk-based computer tasks"
"occasionally stand/walk, grasp lightly, use a telephone"
"rarely twist/bend/stoop/squat, kneel, crawl"