Poetry by Erin Lunde
Are you mad at me? means: I’m worried about something I said to you/about you/around you a few days ago.
Are you mad at me? means: I’m waiting for you to be mad about the thing I said to you/about you/around you a few days ago.
Are you mad at me? means: You’re never mad at me, so I know I’m ridiculous.
Are you mad at me? means: You’re never mad at me.
Are you mad at me? means: Why aren’t you ever mad at me? Why aren’t you ever anything at me?
Are you mad at me? means: I feel like a child.
Are you mad at me? means: Take care of me like a child.
Are you mad at me? means: I’m waiting.
Are you mad at me? means: Something happened and I want you to know it.
Are you mad at me? means: Something happened and I didn’t tell you about it.
Are you mad at me? means: I am so mad at myself.
Are you mad at me? means: I should have told you about that thing that happened the other day and that it continues to happen every day.
Are you mad at me? means: I should tell you.
Are you mad at me? means: I probably never will.
Are you mad at me? means: Why don’t you ever ask me?
Are you mad at me? means: About anything?
Are you mad at me? means: See, it’s happening again, right now.
Are you mad at me? means: I’m mad at you, but you’ll never know because you won’t ask:
Are you mad at me?
Erin Lunde writes in Minneapolis, MN where she lives with her family of five. Her writing is published in Flash Fiction Magazine, The Bangalore Review, Intrinsick, Openwork Mag and others. She writes “Fiction at Five” on Substack; she’s on Instagram @everythingerinlunde, and at erinlunde.com.
