memory loss
I still sing Britney Spears in my birthday suit
pull my hair into a top knot & thread in
fake flowers I copped at the 99 cent store
tremor
When she presses down on the accelerator
I catch wind in my teeth, my skull
out the window like a Labrador, speakers popping
dizziness
Six rings a hand, neck drizzled in chains
I take myself out, movie ticket for one, pull
Twizzlers two-by-two from sticky plastic
increased thirst
The fresh basil I toss on my sunny-side up
plus a sweating glass of spiced iced tea
swirling is a spell, air heavy with light
vertigo
I paint my mouth pink & cat-eye my lids
before heading out into the rain
with a twenty in my chest pocket
coma,
blurred vision,
startled response,
blackout spells tinnitus hallucinations
tics taste distortion worsening
of organic brain syndrome dry mouth
fatigue fever hyperirritability salty taste
swollen lips tightness in chest eventual
blindness incontinence hyperthyroidism
I make a plan for tomorrow, I make a plan
for tomorrow, I make a plan for tomorrow
run the shower hotter
roll the frozen globe of a grape
from roof to cheek
Little God that I
am
from Odes to LithiumFind more by Shira Erlichman at the library
Copyright © 2019 Shira Erlichman
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Alice James Books.