We conquer flat screen TVs, while the Nutcracker march blasts.
At first, we think of children’s smiles, unfurled and new.
Then we think of outdoing neighbors. Fists fly. Hands tug.
Bodies sprawl. People shriek. Feet trample shrieks.
Shame tries to wave at us, but he’s trampled too.
We push harder.

Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA fiction program. His stories “Soon,” “How To Be A Good Episcopalian,” “Tales From A Communion Line,” and “Community Time” have been nominated for Pushcarts. Yash’s work has been published in SmokeLong Quarterly, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, Write City Magazine, and Ariel Chart, among others.