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Objects in the Fairfield Inn Lobby Currently Nudging Me Into Psychosis 

• drum lampshades in barely varying shades of taupe

• porcelain asterisk accessory (bludgeoning weight)

• menu for an 80s-themed pizza joint where absolutely zero items have pun names

• thermostat in a locked case, case only partially screwed to wall

• map to a local weather museum endorsed by Punxsutawney Phil

• overhead speaker playing a reggae cover of “I’ll Stop the World (and Melt With You)”

• glass trophy, Platinum Circle Award for Guest Satisfaction (bludgeoning weight)

• fully stoneworked fireplace with no fire apparatus

• wooden horse staged within said fireplace keycard sleeve reading “Welcome Back”

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Erica Reid is the author of Ghost Man on Second, winner of the Donald Justice Poetry Prize (Autumn House Press, 2024). Erica’s poems appear in Rattle, Cherry Tree, Colorado Review, and more, and she is the recipient of a 2026 Pushcart Prize. Visit her website here.