By Daliah Angelique

they gut the corpse of the ferris wheel
from the defunct Toys “R” Us in Times Square
and excavate the smiling
licensed* characters from their metal tomb
and gift the iconic crew
to a non-profit resort in Florida.
the resurrected characters
will play again
to the delight of sick,
healed or healing
children** and their families.

*due to copyright reasons, E.T. must remain hidden from sight. You can still see the misshapen mass of his alien body from within the giant Christmas stocking beside Geoffrey the Giraffe.

**Corporate is sure that the weekly holiday parade is a welcome opportunity to explain intellectual property and lawsuits to your convalescent child.

---

Daliah Angelique is a lesbian poet chronicling memory, trauma, and queer joy. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Oyster River Pages, Off-Menu Press, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Spilt Milk, Anti-Heroin Chic, and NTCH Mag. She lives with her wife in Maple Valley, Washington. You can find her work on Instagram.