The Title is "Title" by Todd Mercer

The password is “password,” which I guessed quickly,
because that’s mine too. Who can remember
random digits to thwart hackers? The hackers get in,
every try, regardless of defensive measures. Meanwhile
I am HIPPA’ed out of my own patient file. I’m stumped
on my ATM PIN. Had it, lost it, changed it, had it…
Lost it. Stayed in stasis ‘til that settled out.
The safe-word has been “safe-word,” so daringly literal
since it’s of key importance not to blank on that one.
Maybe we’re not wild, compared to free-wheelin’ people
from the news cycle, from movies. The key word
is “keyword,” [no space]. Self-reflective
so we won’t forget it, this figurative lynch-pin,
this interstitial Velcro of human relations.
The word is “word.” Dig me?
The less said on that, the better.



Todd Mercer writes fiction and poetry in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His collection, Ingenue, was published by Celery City Press. His short work, Life-wish Maintenance, can be read at Right Hand Pointing. Recent work appears in The Confluence Anthology, Literally Stories and the Michigan Bards Poetry Anthology.