what if
my april fools prank
was convincing anyone who tries any april fools nonsense
that april fools no longer exists
[believable, by way of executive order]
living with anxiety on april fools day
April 1, 2024
i no longer *have* to be anywhere
on april fools day
if it lands on a week-day
and for this, i am grateful
my school-years were filled with
mondays/tuesdays/wed/thurs/fridays
of april 1
and constant
constant
anxiety
it’s not even like i had a prank-gone-wrong
or anything mean like that
happen to me
directly
but i grew up in the age of
disney channel originals
and nickelodeon tv shows
and candid camera
and that one ashton kutcher reality thing
and just by virtue of being aware
of terrible
horrible
pranks
gave me a perpetual panic edge
every april first
[yes, just living in a society
with no personal experience
can change one’s
perception
of everything]
[there’s an implication here for something more,
societally,
but i’d rather spend this foolish day
chilling
and gathering
calmness around me]
April 1, 2022
April
Fool me once
shame on you
Fool me twice
blame the day.
i actually have no concrete qualms
of this Fools of April
day
but i’m morally against
any pranks or fooling
in bad taste
that do harm
(i mean, i’m against harm
being done
at all)
pranks i enjoy
are things like
Rick-Rolling
and
innocent claims
truthed-up in a moment,
no elaborate schemes
or embarrassment on the prankee.
as a child/teen
i spent the entirety of the 1st
high on my guard
looking at everything
with suspicious eyes,
i felt my entire nervous system
throughout the day
ready to spring
at the tiniest possible stimulant
(how i didn’t know i had anxiety…?)
but i don’t know
what i’m trying to say
with this poem today
i guess
just
don’t be mean,
and give your friends
with generalized anxiety disorder
a break
(since they certainly aren’t going to give themselves one
until midnight oh one
on the second)
kipventures 