Sterile Law

Always read the warning on the

label, darling

Pass the tonic

Pop the foil

Doctor says I need to watch

my pressure

Doctor never saw a motor blow

Titanium jaw clicks when I chew

cold pizza Chest end squeezing real

tight, real slow

Yeah, thanks for the broach,

doc I chew mints to mute

the high-frequency squeal

Pill bottle rattles like a snake

in drywall Multivitamins for my evening

meal Tray hits the tile and

I drop to the rug

Heart rate jumping off the chart

Pull the tab,

drink the mug

Do not mix

Do not blend

I survived the fire

Now I face the end

Screaming through a metal jaw

Broke every single sterile law

Do not blend

Welcome to the ward,

my friend

Checking off symptoms on a clipboard

list

Gave me plastic badges for a

broken lung

Now I fight ghosts with a

rigid wrist

Matchstick sparks flame to a paper

stem

You talk safety from a leather

chair I was picking shrapnel out

my sweater hem Now I mock

warnings in the kitchenette

And it is louder than the

furnace blast Drown it out,

make it last

Do not mix

Do not blend

I survived the fire

Now I face the end

Screaming through a metal jaw

Broke every single sterile

law

Do not blend

Welcome to the ward,

my friend

Always read the warning on the label

Pass the ice

Pop the metal

Gulp a dial