I sure showed them
When my card came up declined
at a cookie place near my apartment
I should have shrugged it off
as not having enough money
after taking care of the basic responsibilities
of adult life
Rent, bills, and groceries had all been paid
so there wasn’t enough
for fresh, overpriced cookies
But the dull, unimpressed look of the teenager
across the counter
stuck with me the whole week
and when my next paycheck came
I went into that cookie place
to buy cookies I didn’t need
just to prove to a kid
who probably forgot
the whole damn incident
an hour after it happened
that I had money
Daniel W. Wright is a poet, editor, and fiction writer. He is the co-founder of Back of the Class Press. Wright most recently released the poetry book The Unheard Music (Kung Fu Treachery, 2025) and the novella Snake Oil (Dark Heart Press, 2024). He is the author of five full-length collections of poetry, two novels, and co-author of four poetry splits. His work has appeared in numerous print and online journals and magazines such as Chiron Review, Gasconade Review, and Book of Matches. Wright resides in St. Louis, MO, where you can usually find him in a bar or a bookstore.
