Give Me an Opinion

by Alex Carrigan

Selected by S.T. Brant

i wasn’t sure how to form
an opinion, so i decided to
watch some YouTube videos
to see if they could show me how.
my family spent thousands so
that i could form
          [one /
          several /
          all]
of my own. i use my degree
to blot my lipstick instead.
someone somewhere
spent
          [hours /
          days /
          weeks /
          months /
          maybe even a year]
to make a video in hopes
of sharing their opinion
and making ad revenue in the process.
i make sure AdBlock is on,
then settle in for
          [hours /
          days /
          weeks /
          months /
          the rest of my life]
to see if they can convince me.
          [they do /
          they don’t /
          i found some of their jokes funny /
          definitely going to use that point next time I talk to my dad. /
          i could do better /
          i can’t do better /
          i won’t even try to make my own /
          i won’t think about it.]
i wasn’t sure how to form
my own opinion, but now
          [my eyes hurt /
          i should have eaten a while ago /
          i really should get some sleep /
          i think i have /
          i don’t think i have.]

Alex Carrigan (he/him; @carriganak) is a Pushcart-nominated editor, poet, and critic from Virginia. His debut poetry chapbook, May All Our Pain Be Champagne: A Collection of Real Housewives Twitter Poetry (Alien Buddha Press, 2022), was longlisted for Perennial Press' 2022 Chapbook Awards. He has had fiction, poetry, and literary reviews published in Quail Bell Magazine, Lambda Literary Review, Barrelhouse, Sage Cigarettes (Best of the Net Nominee, 2023),'Stories About Penises (Guts Publishing, 2019), and more. For more, visit carriganak.wordpress.com.