Muse Wanted

By: Ellis Stump

Originally published in Kalliope 2016

Now really.
I’m not often one for classified ads or things like eHarmony,
I swear. I’m a go-getter.
That’s what my mom always said.
She said, “This one’s going places,”
which I guess isn’t not true.
But I’m also just your average, run-of-the-mill, independent
on a soul-seeking journey
to find someone like you.

You, I will spoil.
Is that too forward? Silly me.
I find you smart, so I will give you a desk.
It’s shining and inviting
I think mahogany.
I’ll keep it constantly stocked with an endless supply of
black ink and dark roast
to sip under the printer sheets.
Yep, you get your own computer!
A vintage collector’s piece from ’93.

I should just warn you, though,
I’m not one for small talk
or places like Cape Cod.
I’m not one for really any speech aloud,
and I don’t really hike or dance.
I’m on a time crunch, on a budget,
and this here may be my last chance to say
I’m just your average, run-of-the-mill
independent insomniac
with a big empty house and not too much to lose.
Find me at the lamppost sometime past 3

if you would like to come and be my muse.