Deep Thoughts at Ulta Beauty
By Sasha Pearl
I went to Ulta Beauty to buy perfume
I was horny and I wanted the universe inside my nose
The lit shelves and raised hair
Press a sensual towering cloud
Swells and pitches of blood
This one smells like observation deck
This one smells like Florida toilet
Stinky zoo
Albino gator
There was no tester for Ariana Grande’s “thank u next” signature scent
I Googled its reviews:
“Smells like sexy pickles and pears”
We had everything on earth
Pupae, larvae, tiger moths
Stick bugs and shrimp plants and giant millipedes, jellyfish
And what did we make
Dell computer oxycodone maxi dresses
Water beds, the PT Cruiser
P90X, MK ULTRA, bitcoin, body rock, nation states
We could have had manta rays
But we wanted Boone’s Farm apple wine
I’m depressed
I’m depressed by mankind’s infinite reach
Source: Poetry (May 2025)