pergola

Share this post

Calcium

www.thepergola.ca

Calcium

Dominique Zipper
Apr 10, 2021
5
Share this post

Calcium

www.thepergola.ca
Photo by Isabel A Hermosillo

You are lost.

The days churn my ankles,

milking me out,

from underneath

my table of disbelief.

I press into its legs,

fracturing them at their joints,

my plump tendons

pulverizing

between the days’ thumbs

and

my bones.

*

You are lost.

Foam gushing

through the ceiling.

The bedside fan choking, on 

Snot and salt.

*

You are lost.

Hot rods flaring in my sternum,

charging up my clavicle.

But at the dentist they insist

I am only 36.3 degrees.

And they cleaned her teeth too, they say 

And Oh, her laugh! they say

And Yeah, she laughed a lot, I say

And Oh yes, I can imagine! they say.

And my embers surge,

And the hygienist whispers to reception

“The thermostat?”

*

You are lost.

All my hair, pulled up

Up and up and up and up 

Until my neck vertebrae click, and hatch

I am the turkey leg

that you steered away from you

Away from its crinkling, bubbly body

to show me it was done.

On Christmas Day.

Share

Share this post

Calcium

www.thepergola.ca
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Dominique Zipper
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing