face down into my pillow
the itch on my left eyebrow
prevented my sleep – and rather than
unfolding my crooked arm
for an honest scratch
i waited – distracted from
the sour stench of drool
permanent and unexpectedly icy
my new challenge to face – erase
this small terror welling
why does my body insist on alarm
local sites demanding global attention
in perverse meditation
i focused my strength
between my insides and without
the paper-thin sensation
grinding itself with pestle and pain
microscopic compulsion
i became the animal
strung along in the kennel
of my own experiment
watching – waiting
helpless mind over matter
it was time one only
feels in darkness – time
that runs in tighter
and tighter circles
then – at the circle center
the pain was beautiful
and it was gone