(for Sunil)
no man knows me better
than sunil from unichem pharmacy
each month over there in
the back room,
a swing door,
fluorescent lights,
the poster about how to know
if your passport photo is taken right.
time stops for no woman
except here —
all slow and sweet, sunil prepares
the needle for my skin,
filled with things my body needs but
cannot make, saying
take it easy, this might hurt,
while the wrong-angled profile
shots all watch, wanting
to get the hell out of there
to a faraway destination
but having not done everything right.
there are so many
emails and so many things to do
and so much that makes us feel
like we are incorrect.
and here i am, in the nurse’s chair
so small and insignificant
in tears over the tiny pain,
about to buy a coffee i can’t afford,
after telling you this story,
after he draws the needle
out and snaps his gloves shut,
after he turns and says, slow down, just
for a second, if you go too fast,
it’ll hurt more. if you don’t stop,
life will rush through you too quick —
you won’t be able to
fully feel it.
-Annabel Hawkins
*Thank you to Annabel Hawkins for allowing us to share this piece. You can see more of her writing here and her website here.*
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