1-star review
Her ritual begins
with a flame
above dead-rose wax.
She searches herself
on the internet
and leaves
a 1-star review.
“Poor service.
No smile.
Smelled
like burnt tobacco.”
Palms mud her face,
searches “How to live
with yourself?”
A mask of self-care.
Error 404.
Not found.
Try again
another day.
Smoke leads footsteps
to a vacant kitchen.
Fruit in porcelain
offended by the smell.
Chips and dip
fill bowls,
pretend it's a party.
Dishes forsaken,
she condemns
someone else.
She lives by herself.
Laptop glows,
chats with a bot.
Asks for ratings
to self-soothe.
One out of ten:
how good am I?
Loader spins,
almost times out.
Thinking
for 45 seconds…
Red pop up.
Connection error
Would you like
to retry?