Poetry By Spencer Robert Young

Photo by Mennie on Unsplash

SudZee’s

Listen to a reading of this poem by Spencer Robert:

We’re all here for the same thing.
If you speak, speak calmly.
Not “hey, you dropped a sock” but hey,
you dropped a sock.
Half-glances are the only acceptable means
of looking at one another, but you can stare
at the twirl of hair lodged in the laundry cart
wheel for a whole spin cycle,
and we will understand.
We’re all here for the same reason.
Despite what the signs say,
do not control your children. We love
the pitter-patter of their inconvenience,
the shy curiosity in their hands.
Let them wander—the baritone hum
of the dryers will set them at ease.
When your clothes are dry, it’s best
to fold them here, despite the lack
of space. The way you hold that ratty tee
to your nose and pause before
you tuck its sleeves and stack it neatly
is a kind of worship.
If you stay here long enough, well after
the timer ticks zero and the herd of patrons
thins to a trickle, pay attention
to the artlessness of this place.
No one is pretending to be anyone here.
You can smile at the laundromat,
but only with your eyes.
Otherwise, you’ll upset the delicate balance
of care and melancholy filling
every mote and molecule
of the static cling.

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Spencer Robert Young (they/them) is a poet, essayist, and editor. They write about embodiment, punk music, queerness, climate change, and good books. Spencer holds an MA in Creative Writing and Literature from Kansas State University. They currently live in Moscow, Idaho, where they study poetry at the University of Idaho’s MFA in Creative Writing program. Their work has been published in literary magazines and journals, including Terrain.org, and their original chamber opera, Let's Blow Up A Gas Station!, premiered with Seattle Opera in 2024.