Hamlet Tries Prozac

Hamlet tries it and suddenly the firmament’s floating.
He takes Ophelia out on a date, says he’s sorry for being a dick,
and they make faces at each other over a steak that’s too well-done
but he doesn’t berate the waiter about it. He just chews the steak
and Ophelia dives into the ribs, stickied fingers playing over
the bones with a newfound sense of comfort. Later, when they take
a bath together, she’ll look at his ribs and poke at them, pretend
that in between them flowers might spring out, that imagining
this might make the next bit a bit easier. He’s gentle,
which she appreciates, but it doesn’t make up for his pale
skinniness. He’s sleeping now and she’s looking at his ribs, then
presses a finger in between one of her own, finds no difference.

Tawanda Mulalu was born in Gaborone, Botswana. He is the author of the chapbook Nearness, forthcoming from The New Delta Review and is an inaugural member of the Brooklyn Poets Mentorship Program. He has also served as a Ledecky Fellow for Harvard Magazine and the first Diversity and Inclusion Chair of The Harvard Advocate. His poems are published or forthcoming in Lana Turner, The Denver Quarterly, The Massachusetts Review, Salt Hill Journal, and elsewhere. He mains Ken in Street Fighter.

Image by Vamika Sinha