going under

doctor smiles their last smile & the bright light above
like something of a ghost signal the other side of the
moon n’ all that the sheets are placed appropriately
& tied down with arms tense hands gripping tight
for life the lull comes on the light fades out the cracks
and the neck releases all the air out like a popped
rubber hose with air still being pumped through it.

all the paths are sealed off & the feet meander along the
glass grass with bits & pieces snipping off, splintering
with each step but not one punctures the skin, instead
like ultra-absolutely-small icicles they melt against
the skin which is cold to the touch but hot enough to
leave the memory of heat upon anything the body rolls
against.

sounds in the distance come closer & when they echo in
the ears they make vibrations which etch from one side
of the mind to the other like an iron pinion being slammed
through from right to left & back again when the same
fingers used to touch the roaring heat spots along the legs
now seem to be falling off like lemmings jumping from
the cliffs & the limbs as well disappear quick as a cigarette
burning itself to ash seemingly dissipating with each twitch
of the holder’s hand.

the gums of the teeth begin to shake & burn up & under
within the roots of the teeth & the mouth begins to slam its
jaws together clattering like a rusty steel trap left to
freeze in the wilderness now awoken by a small 2.5
richter quake whose only real problem was not being
strong enough to stir those whose own ability to
experience drama has been erased from their core.

hand over hand not seen or felt any longer (but still
climbing downward on the ladder) now find the ladder
ending & the legs begin to swing to & fro down below
there is simply deep deep deep darkness & the sounds
that had been belting through the skull with eyes
floating all around a million electric eyes connecting
& piercing through one another overlapping &
echoing aesthetically in pure silence through light’s
suggestion.

bursts of sparks & small fires trip over each of the
next waves of sound meshed with scents that
together begin to pummel the brain with memories
that had been forgotten & with that the tapping of
shoes along a hard floor as that of a medical facility
the feelings that had retreated begin to revive the
toes, the heels the feet in totality, legs, pelvis, etc.
with all of that the eyes snap open with the surprise
of a gunshot near the head just as one has drifted off
to sleep & the doctor still smiles & nothing is known
whatsoever of what has occurred outside oneself.