“Read a book from the library / Donate to a food pantry ... Visit the reflecting pool in DC and ponder the state of democracy / Casually research becoming a citizen of a country with free health care / Play a few pickleball matches.” In “Things to Do While Waiting for Midterm Election Results,” published on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Wendi Aarons presents a to-do list of items that are humorous, desperate, mundane, unhinged, and relatable, that together create a sense of the anxiety of waiting tinged with satirical humor. This week compose a poem that takes the form of a list of things to do while waiting for something nerve-wracking—whether personal or on a larger scale. Allow yourself to be playful with imagery and sound, and experimental with spacing, punctuation, and strike-through text.
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