ever watch
someone
smoke
because they can’t just
stand outside
and stare at strangers
dogs and birds and passing
cars and buses and children
vendors handing hotdogs to
tourists who are lost,
so they
decide that satiating hunger
will suffice for fun
Originally from Georgia, LJ Pemberton is a writer / artist / futurist currently living in Los Angeles, California. Her award-winning stories and poetry have been featured in PANK, the Electric Encyclopedia of Experimental Literature, Hobart, Cobalt, the Los Angeles Review, and elsewhere. She has an MFA from Columbia University and was previously an assistant editor at NOON. She currently reviews fiction for Publishers Weekly. Find out more at ljpemberton.com.