the potassium drip

when I wake up
hidden fire
eats my arm
from within,
the IV burning
drop by drop.

needles conjure no dread for me.
when I was very small
my daddy pinned me
to my diaper.
my eyes got big and quizzical,
as if to ask him,
did you mean to do that?
but I never cried
and trusted him still
when the pin was gone.

when the nurse makes her rounds
I ask her why I burn.
potassium, she tells me.
she checks the bags, adjusts
it will drip slower, now—
that’s all I can do.

I cry that night,
long hours spent
rustling my pillow
to a dryer spot,
whimpering
until the bag is empty.

I feel that burn again
standing beside a hospital bed
as my sister stares at me,
her eye still so blue,
so like our mother’s—
so blind.
and I am helpless
powerless to fix her.

line count: 36

Prompt ▼

Subject or Theme: Pain ~ what brings or has brought you pain (it can be physical, emotional, mental or it can be something or someone else that brings you pain)
Word(s) to Include: conjure, rustle, hide (or any derivatives of these words) Please highlight words in green in your poem
Forbidden Word(s): pain, abuse, anger, hurt, devastation, sadness, death, die, starve (or any derivatives of these words)
Additional Parameters: Minimum 24 lines of free verse or a form that is at least 24 lines
Remember, do not use forbidden words ANYWHERE, including title or the brief description.