Darwinism, 2020 Style by Leah Mueller

If you are in 
your pajamas,
seated at your desk

in front of your Mac
clutching a 
homemade cappuccino,

earning your 
usual salary
while you telecommute 
from your armchair,

congratulations.
You’re a winner.

If you are trapped inside
your studio apartment
trying to call the
unemployment office
1500 times in one week,

wracking your brains
to figure out 
a new recipe for rice
and lettuce,

waiting in line
12 hours for dried beans
and cans of pork,

checking your door
for a 5 day notice
multiple times
in one day,

too bad for you.
You’re a loser.

Shelter at home
is great if you are
lucky enough
to have shelter.

If not, you’d better 
find some quickly, 

and be sure 
not to breathe 
your low-rent toxins
on anybody else.

Leah Mueller is an indie writer and spoken word performer from Bisbee, Arizona.  Her most recent books, "Misguided Behavior, Tales of Poor Life Choices" (Czykmate Press), "Death and Heartbreak" (Weasel Press), and "Cocktails at Denny's" (Alien Buddha ) were released in 2019. Leah’s work appears in Midway Journal, Citron Review, The Spectacle, Miracle Monocle, Outlook Springs, Atticus Review, Your Impossible Voice, and elsewhere.