TAMAGOTCHI
the tamagotchi was a key chain sized
egg shaped computer with screen three buttons
the tamagotchis were small aliens
like me who had put down an egg on Earth
to see what life was like the player had
to raise the egg to an adult creature
age seven I turn on the toy an egg
appears on screen hatches into my pet
I care for it like no one cares for me
filling up hunger meter filling up
happy meter by feeding it dinner
by playing a digital game with it
when I couldn’t stop becoming myself
I could pause their development I could
scold them when I couldn’t scold school bullies
when they felt sick like I was made to I
could give them medicine to make them feel
better if they died from neglect I could
restart the game baby child teenager
adulthood do it again differently
James McDermott’s collection ‘Manatomy’ is published by Burning Eye. His poems have been published in Gay and Lesbian Review, The Cardiff Review and Dawntreader. James was shortlisted for Outspoken’s Poetry Prize 2020 and Commended in The Winchester Poetry Prize 2020. Twitter: @jamesliammcd
‘TAMAGOTCHI’ was in part inspired by the this Epic Web Studios article.