Allergy
Squinting, I spot a pulsating fresco engraved in the veins of my upper arm
A crimson, needle born beehive – my latest involuntary tattoo
When in doubt: insert needle here
A rush of blood and honey to the head
“Only one more vial to go”
Mindless medical gossip adulterates the atmosphere like mustard gas
Patient confidentiality easily kept by avoiding the use of first names …
“Mr. Smith cries when he sees the needle”
… and replacing them with last names
“Only one more vial to go”
Eighteen hundred seconds amidst a span of familiar strangers
Detained by faulty antibodies
Defined by fanny packs of Epinephrine and Benadryl
Distracted by a plasma aquarium of HD goldfish
“Only one more vial to go”
Squinting, I spot my reflection in a dusty glass frame
Littered with twitching time bombs masked in tiny yellow jackets
A frowning face stares back in a photograph of nameless noses
Buried in Family Life magazines and Daily Health brochures
“Only one more …”
Defective system: out of order
Immune, but never divest of the disease
When in doubt: insert needle here
A double dose may kill the pain
But nothing can eliminate the allergy.
– Jackson Scott, New Richmond High School
Senior Division, Second Honorable Mention,
Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Student Poetry Contest, 2008
Published in Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar 2009
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