“Laid Off from My Own Spin-Off” by Christopher M. Grady

“Laid Off from My Own Spin-Off” by Christopher M. Grady is a multifaceted prose poem. Grady synthesizes three distinct craft elements into an intriguing, innovative hybrid work: first, the sustained metaphor of the television show; second, the list format of the primary actors; and third, the epistolary tone that allows for the power of direct address. Ultimately, to the reader’s delight, the speaker of the poem triumphantly refuses “the end” of the show.  —Court Harler

We could’ve had a different story than a gay kid struggling for success. To the producers above, to the algorithm, to the audiences who only want us to be tragic.

Not everyone deserves screen time in my episodes. Yet here I am, glitching to write my last words, a finale before they’re laid off from my own spin-off.

1. To my father, whose legacy somehow made the budget. Fishing was never my pastime, touchdowns never highly rated. At least your baldness was a recurring gag for a cheap laugh.
2. To Nathan’s copies, each the same actor. Nothing extraordinary in camouflage, nothing unparalleled in reused voice lines. Everything mirrored through CGI.
3. To the girl who was a one-trick pony, clutching my shirt from the background, outing me like a desperate attempt for a ratings boost, though we all forgot your name.
4. To DJ, who has overstayed as the first attraction. Nights climbing through my open window, shame hiding in boring closet monologues. Mornings rushing plotlines like a canceled show.
5. To myself, whose image was branded in tears. You decide who speaks louder, who walks on screen bolder. Remember, you hold the spotlight like immunity.

You think this is the end? It’s just a small commercial break. Stay tuned for the inevitable reboot. More gay. Less tragic. Same algorithm.

CHRISTOPHER M. GRADY is an LGBT Black teenager from the United States, residing in Virginia. He is an emerging writer experimenting with varied ways of writing stories for the purpose of entertaining readers and growing in his craft. Some of his publications appear in The Disappointed Housewife, Bending Genres, and Young Voices of RVA.

Featured image by Diego González, courtesy of Unsplash.