The Consult
Doctor, it hurts when I do this,
but I can’t stop doing it.
All habits lead to injury,
eventually. Running weakens
the knees, and reading melts
your eyeballs into hazel stew.
Ew. Even the perfect body
is disgusting, intestines and
blood and hair. Hold on to your
stomachs, it is natural to be
repulsed by the matter splashing
around in you, unceremonious
as a child kicking water from
a fountain, shrieking and giddy
in this new knowledge: look how
much I can do before I get in trouble!
As a nurse, I have to say I love the hazel stew part. Victor Frankl wrote a whole book on this very subject (our relationship w/our bodies, not hazel stew!) and here you've done it in one poem. And I always forget to look at the pic! Your poetry is enough.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to "hazel stew", I also really like "All habits lead to injury, /eventually." That slight pause with the comma is just right.
ReplyDeletePerfect inspiration from the artwork.
"Even the perfect body is disgusting" is a phrase I will think of the next time I regret not having one.
ReplyDelete