How to Become Less Strange

Get a sense of what's expected.

Match your reactions

to the crowd's.

Purchase a small, black umbrella

and stand a little closer

to the next in line.

If you're asked, say, "I'm here on business."

When you're sad,

study the lights on the bridge

and write small poems

in a personal ledger bound in red leather

(if you must.)

Avoid other expatriates.

Do not teach English to school children.

Assume how you've done things

up to this point

has been wrong but not criminally so.

Blow no breath

into bubble wands or lovers' ears.

About the Author

Glen Armstrong (he/him) holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters. His poems have appeared in Conduit, Poetry Northwest, and Another Chicago Magazine.