Corey Ginsberg
Graduate School Application


Graduate School Application

Full name:

I'll tell you the first
and last, but I'll save
the middle for a time
when bread no longer defines
the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

What sets you apart from other applicants?

I've never wanted to be President
though I can hold my breath
for nearly three minutes
without any apparent brain damage.

My failures adorn me
like shiny Purple Hearts,
the fancy flare stuck
to my already calloused skin.

I offer walls before graffiti,
eggshells that refuse
to decompose.
I can show emptiness,
the place where the soul
meets the skin.

Statement of purpose:

To thrive.
No, to exist.
To eat an entire birthday cake
without cracking
a smile.

To be deaf and dumb:
a parody of myself
but beautifully oblivious.
To earn the first movie
before judging the sequel.

Educational background:

Nineteen years
spent taking apart a puzzle
only to set the whole thing on fire.
A decade of failed tries at writing
left-handed,
learning Cartesian Dualism,
and swimming
in a puddle I still resent having created.

I've never learned the state capitals
and probably never will.
I don't even regret my ignorance.

Briefly describe yourself to us:

An eraser mark, a rusty waffle maker
cooking up conspiracy theories
and burnt breakfast cuisine.
Everything crossed out
in the first draft and discarded.
A limp, broken mouse in a cat's jaw,
eyes saying,
This isn't how it's supposed to end.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us
about yourself?


I'm terrified of heights
though I've been known to skydive.
My bones are brittle
but I'm not afraid to bleed.

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