I Don’t Need Anesthesia: Photo Art & Poetry by Maggs Vibo

I don’t need anesthesia

He pushes a button and
the chair slowly                          mechanically moves  
leans back pushes me                open
w i d e                                         W I D E R
I’ve got the whole world             in my mouth
my goggles 
fog 
seeing trauma                            in my jaw
a root/canal                                a partial?
a date                                         I can't recall
and the conversation
morphs to                                  my sleep
                                                   meds and
allergies                                      latex
But I stop talking once
sirens blare
I don't reach for it
Keep my fists under                  my lap
clutched                                    clenched
I no longer search                     drill
or load ammo                            Suck,
breathe, clear 
I think the steps as he's             covering my mouth
                                                   backwards
counting
from 12, 11, 10...
Drifting
            Tumbling
                         6, 5...canvas        duffeling
                                                     falling
camels   Fucking                           punching
the sand
my guts spill                                 out of 
poetry

At least these days,                     my mind
I know the difference
between a 
memory
and a mind trick 

Wolfpack Contributor Bio: Maggs Vibo