My Blinds are Broken, Can You Fix Them

Dear Employee #386789:

Thank you for your e-mail from five months, two weeks and one days ago requesting an adjustment to your office blinds, which you claim are not currently functioning. We are happy to assist you with your request at some point in the near future, pending your submission of the following pdfs, which must include all of the required information.

–Form 7890: In this form you must submit the nature of your request, the specific broken items, download the broken item app, upload a pic, along with a pic of your passport, driver’s license and social security card.

–Form 7891: In this form you reconfirm that your item is still broken and offer a window of times during which you might be available for one of our maintenance men to come and fix your broken item. Please note that as a result of a staffing shortage, our available times are currently between the hours of 1 and 2 p.m. on every other Thursday.

–Form 7892: With this form you assert the existential importance of the item currently broken. Please download the personal narrative office item app and offer a personal narrative about the utility and importance of the item to your proper functioning as an employee of the state. Feel free to upload images that might assist your narrative.

–Form 7893: In this form you offer a narrative of negation–explaining how your work experience is impacted by the current broken state of the item you mention. Make sure to download the narrative of negation app to enter your full narrative, assisting the information you entered here in the PDF.

–Form 7894: Here you simply detail the history of the item in your office, to the best of your ability. When was said broken item currently created and what was the place of its manufacture? What is your relationship with said broken item? Do you bear any responsibility in the current lack of functionality of said broken item and if so to what degree?

After you fill out form 7894 please wait for our reply to all forms and then follow up with us by submitting the following additional forms:

–Form 7895: Please offer your employment history and, after downloading the app, submit the updated resume so that we might understand the further context and necessity of said repair.

–Form 7896: Here is where you detail your response to the twenty point questionnaire regarding previous repairs we may have completed for you during your time of employment for our state. Make sure to also upload the required video narrative portion in the app, after downloading it.

–Form 7897. This form is for you to fill out pertaining to your agreement that we are not legally culpable for any injuries you might sustain if we do not fix the broken item in your office properly.

–Form 7898. Once the repair is completed please fill out this brief forty point survey regarding the promptness and effectiveness of our repair. Please note that this form must be completed no later than forty-eight hours after the repair. Failure to do so will result in a reversal of the repair to its previous broken state, in accordance with statute 987 of the state constitution.

–Form 7899. Lastly, please download the app linkted here in this PDF. Once you have done so, please upload a ten minute video of your usage of the now-fixed item and detail a narrative of how the repair of said item has increased your productivity and contentment as an employee of the state.

My Micro and Nanoplastic Menagerie


Since we now know that micro and nanoplastics live on and inside us–on our hair, inside our organs, in our blood–I have decided to make the best of a bad situation. I have decided to make plastic lemonade from plastic lemons, so to speak, by cultivating my own menagerie. Here is a brief list of a few of my newfound friends!

Twirly: Looking like a corkscrew bacteria but made actually of the residue of my plastic cutting board, Twirly currently resides on my left eyelash. Twirly has a fun personality–very flexible and able to acclimate to many different environments. Twirly is looking for an upgrade, currently eyeballing a spot inside my right ear canal–far more privacy and quieter! With room for at least two in case Twirly finds a significant other.

Buttons: This little guy couldn’t be cute–just a tiny speck of plasticity brought on by the wind. We are lucky to have him in our collection, as he could have easily migrated elsewhere. Buttons currently resides in my chest hair nest, safely hidden, mostly, from the public eye–and secluded, at least until I shower and scrub a dub.

Squealy: If I listen closely enough I swear I can hear Squealy’s high-pitched and expressive soundings. Since Squealy swims about in my veins it can sometimes be a bit muffled. Shaped like a Nerf football, Squealy is maneuverable and totally goes with the flow. A friendly presence inside me!

Gigi: This fetching little remnant of an old Coke bottle knows just how to treat a host. My pancreas has never felt so good. Now that it is home to some of my menagerie, I know that I too can treat a lady plastic right. When Gigi adjusts herself in a jagged way I do feel something amiss, but that is only temporary!

Woo: Maybe the cutest of the menagerie, Woo currently resides in my small intestine–although he is looking to relocate to my colon. Woo was once a black plastic bag–the kind you see often in New York City bodegas–but is now a stringy little waif of a guy, just hanging out and making friends with the others, seemingly at will.

Krug: Is a brute of a microplastic, currently living in my gum line next to my right top incisor. I’m not sure how he found his way in to such an awkward spot, but he’s been there a while, crafting his style and preparing himself to conquer my entire body, if he must. Gotta watch this one.

Yule: Is my gentle princess, living currently in my cerebral cortex, nestled in a little nook. Though she is often silent, at times she whispers sweet nothings to me in my sleep. I think of Yule as my own personal (miniature) assistant!

Currently settled in a cluster in my esophagus are Harry and Harriet and Gregory and Gregoria. These nanoplastics are the remnants of a once great plastic water cooler from the 70’s, now dispersed into the wider world. We should count ourselves lucky. They often party inside me all hours of the night, causing me a bit of acid reflux perhaps but little real harm!

I often drink from plastic cups and plastic bottles, adding to my menagerie at least temporarily (most exit rapidly), but a few of these temporary visitors stick around in my bladder or kidneys, urging me to go even more. Perhaps they are selfish clingy, these nanoplastics. Abby (bladder) and Jenna (kidney), however, I consider part of my family now. They keep me company.

Speaking of company, nothing like having a microplastic buddy right next to your heart. Kylie is a mixture of sweet and loving, offering my heart only the kindest of wishes and massages. There is a reason she is near to my heart. Is it possible to marry a bit of microscopic plastic? I’m not sure what the vows would look like.

And inside my urethra lives a troll of a nanooplastic pet I call Gurt. You would think that this place in my body would be uninhabitable. Even if something could live here you would think that they would find themselves flushed out rapidly. However, Gurt has lived in this position for several years, their little plastic body nestled in mine.

We must embrace change. We can say these little bits of plastic are intruders, enemies, vile, evil. However, at some point we need to understand that these friends are here to stay. We can fight it, but how? Better to know that we are now leaders of a colony of many, not lone individuals floating along in space. Never alone!

National Association for Fetus Armament: A Manifesto


We here at the NAFA (National Association for Fetus Armament) are delighted by the recent ruling by the Supreme Court and subsequent advancement of said ruling by individual states. As you may know, in their infinite wisdom, the Supreme Court has ruled that abortions are not to be permitted except on a state-by-state basis. This is clearly a step in the right direction based on the original thoughts of the founding fathers. However, we believe drastic further steps are needed to defend our current gains. Outlawing plan B abortion bills, containing a state’s populace to that state to limit the possibility of crossing from one state to another (building razor-wire walls between states is an option). Containing all pregnant women in a gated pit is an option (they may or may not be asked to fight each other to the death while being live-streamed—potential source of revenue!).

In particular, we are concerned still that individual mothers in individual states may yet attempt the horrific and barbaric practice now made constitutionally illegal. Since it is very difficult for an individual fetus to stop such a practice on his or her own without assistance, and in consideration that the second amendment was recently upheld as nationally applicable, we would like the Supreme Court to consider an addendum to the recent decision that also allows for the individual fetus to bear arms in case they are held hostage by the WO (womb operator) against their will. This would be purely for the sake of self-defense, of course, against any intrusions that attempt to terminate the pregnancy, but we at the NAFA believe this is a crucial next step so that, in the event of any brazen attempts to break the law, the fetus can use his or her constitutional right to defend their right to be born.

One might express concern that arming fetuses seems a bit rash–for instance, we do not unfortunately arm kindergarteners (yet!). However, nothing but a firearm skillfully deployed would stop a mother bent on destroying her unborn child. We know this as a result of recent studies which suggest that mothers intent on abortion are very seldom dissuaded. A handgun may change that equation!

Some may also worry that arming a fetus seems difficult at best and far-fetched at worst. However, we at the NAFA are in the process of funding a training center for fetuses interested in expressing their constitutional right to carry and conceal. To attend a clinic the fetus simply must carefully hypnotize the bearer of the womb and prod them to drive to the location posted on our website. At the training center fetuses will receive a tiny, light-weight handgun vis-a-vie our three dimensional printer. After a weekend session in which the fetus will learn best practices and safety lessons, he or she will be ready to bear arms (we reiterate, please be mindful of the umbilical cord–that is an important safety consideration).

Though it may seem counter-intuitive, NAFA is womb operator-friendly also. Not all of the dangers that might threaten a fetus come from the WO. Think about it: you are a mother with a young, unprotected fetus. What is stopping another woman, say who cannot reproduce because she was irresponsible in college, from nabbing your fetus away from you when you are asleep or hypnotized or when you are binge-watching the latest Netflix stream? But if your fetus is strapped and standing at attention? This provides one more layer of protection from any unwarranted loitering and/or fetus-napping attempts.

In case you are concerned that this seems quite speculative and otherworldly even, please see our website at NAFA.org where you will find all the specific details on our recent studies and trials pertaining to the success of such fetus armament. In one memorable situation worth mentioning, a mother attempted to make an appointment with an abortion clinic. The fetus, hearing the conversation through the uterine lining, withdrew his firearm and pressed it firmly against the inside of the womb bearer. The mother felt the directness of the opposition and hung up the phone. In another instance, the womb bearer attempted to illegally abort (in a rogue state) but the fetus, sensing the impending violence, presented the firearm by poking it into her belly and the murdering doctor ceased and desisted with all activities.

The most difficult cases are those where the fetus would like to express his or her constitutional right and the mother would rather suppress such a right. In this instance, if the Supreme Court could add our requested addendum to their recent decision, NAFA would happily support the unborn fetus with a free personal firearm (our treat–we believe that such a gift would yield future dividends both for society and for the individual strapped fetus). Or: think of a situation where, lord forbid, the WO is accosted by an individual who wants to take advantage of her. Guess what? Little does the aggressor know but there is an armed fetus inside her secret place ready to pop a cap into his little willy.

We realize that it may seem unlikely that a fetus could learn how to fire a sidearm properly while still in the WO. However, a cooperative WO will learn that even the most awkward fetus can be trained to hold a trigger and squeeze. Yes, it involves weeks of focused training and, yes, the firearm might, at times, accidentally discharge. However, in most cases the fetus learns to hold the firearm in the crook of their little arms and to only pull the trigger in case of abject emergency (these are, of course, often indicated by the WO shrieking and/or wild chemical dislocation sensed hormonally.) There is also the issue of ammunition, in case the fetus fires many rounds. Firearms and ammunition are, of course, delivered vaginally through the WO on an as-needed basis (we have a team making regular rounds).

Some might also wonder if the recoil of a given shot might damage the uterus or even injure the fetus. We have put our top-notch specialists on this task and determined that this is not the case. First of all, the firearms delivered to most fetuses will be reminiscent of tiny Derringers from the Wild West days. These are not powerful guns, only effective as a last-resort measure with an accompanying means of surprise. According to Fetus Recoil: Ammunition or Abortion by W.C. Bartleby only twenty-seven point eight nine percent of fetuses are injured by recoil or misfire–a worthwhile downside when weighed against a world in which fetuses are at the mercy of their Womb Operators for protection.

Of course what we really need is an understanding that for both the Womb Operator and the fetus firearms are the best protection–and a trained firearm-proficient fetus who is a skilled marks-pre-infant is the best of all scenarios. This is why we propose shooting ranges for all fetuses beginning at the age of three months. Of course, some fetuses at this point in development are part chicken or lizard and/or do not yet have hands or fingers. However, this is where mouths come in handy. If your standard quadriplegic can shoot an Uzi, so can a healthy fetus.

We at the NAFA believe not only that all fetuses must come to term, but that all fetuses should have the right to bear arms, as the United States Constitution clearly proclaims. Our world will be much safer from crime and aborted pregnancies if fetuses were finally given the rights dearly due to them. Some have claimed that the United States is becoming like the Handmaid’s Tale, a world in which women are controlled by a sinister quorum of men. One can only hope! We at the NAFA view this novel as a kind of utopian handbook, not a dystopian nightmare. Now if only we can get WOs to relinquish the right to vote and to wear those constraining hats. There is always room for improvement! In the meantime, we will continue to keep the faith, hoping for a future in which fetuses can wrest full freedom from those WOs who imprison them.

Nathan Leslie is the author of thirteen books of fiction and one collection of poems. His latest novel is Van Boyle (Texture Press). Find him at Nathanleslie.net. He is the host of Reston Readings and the publisher of Maryland Literary Review as well as the series editor for Best Small Fictions.