The Rigged Claw Machines at the Mall Arcade by Alyssa Trivett

by Mike Mozart

The sign reads AIM HERE
as utensil claw tongs friend zone
a plushy fish,
barely chalk outlining its fin.
My nine credits on my reloadable card
deduct double.
Instead,
I dance sideways with another machine,
walking out with a plush sushi.
A young couple asks how I was able to win it,
I replied; gunned it to its side,
got it to rollover and stand up,
swiped at it and let it fall
into my winner’s circle bin,
like dominoes.

*****

Alyssa Trivett is a wandering soul from the Midwest. Her work has recently appeared at In Between Hangovers, Apricity Magazine and The Rye Whiskey Review. She can be reached at facebook.com/alyssalovestowrite