Our conversations on lines with Lytton gave us a lot to mull over, but I wasn’t really sure what it was going to do in my life beyond that. I’m not much of a poet. I was at work the next day where I’m in charge of writing the kitschy signs. It was right before Valentine’s day so something festive was in order, but I wasn’t interested in completely forgoing my anti-heteronormativity and anti-hallmark holiday values for 12 dollars an hour. See the image of what I wrote and the transcribed bit below.
Transcribed: Show your sweetie you care / with a cheese board for two / brie + berries, or even fondue! / Give a valentine to local cream’ries / by supporting the workers / who make WNY’s cheese / {Ask us about our valentine’s favorites}
I know the meter’s off and it’s goofy, but cheese sign stakes aren’t a high literary form. Be gentle, please. In my signage I try to remind customers of the process of dairy and the folks (in addition to farmers) that make cheese arrive in their carts. I was going to have the penultimate line end with “the workers who,” but then realized that if I wanted to really draw folks’ attention to it, then ending the line with “workers” would be more effective. I’m aware that the change is minuscule and probably didn’t change any customer’s mind about how they think about dairy workers and the industry. Still though, our class allowed me to have the boring things I do in my life be a little bit more meaningful and have a bit more craft.
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