Proposition Forty-Six

by Sumanth Prabhaker

The men are tall here, but not as tall as trees. They tilt their noses down at us, as if we caused their problem, which they see as our problem, but it isn’t. What’s done is done, and besides, there are other options. For example, I am a vocal supporter of Proposition forty-six, the reinstitution of Height Cancellation Therapy, which allows men ages three through seven to wear a specialized lead cap that promotes longevity by stunting growth, and which was deemed by a board of female jurors ‘retarding’ and ‘unsuitable’ and I think one of them said her husband was like a wet puddle in bed due to the unforeseen side effects of the cap, and which finally was recalled and melted for automotive parts seventeen years ago, long before my mother or I were born. Since then, male votes have been spotty and hard to count on, which is why Propositions thirty-three through forty and forty-two have all fallen way through, despite many of them holding good promises for us. I deny none of this, but it is yesterday’s news; innovations have been made; I am looking to the future.

6S

Sumanth Prabhaker is the founding editor of Madras Press, a non-profit imprint that publishes individually bound short story and novella-length booklets and distributes the proceeds to a network of charitable organizations selected by its authors.