Saturday

Brain on Fire
Annie Arias (nom de plume of Jill Arias)

the ultrasound of the normal brain
sliced left and right, front and back
mocks the brain with the candy-coated shell
orange and red M&M’s melt in your brain
not in your hand

what a relief to have confirmed
what I always knew
something not quite right
with the way I think
compared to others

the harder I think, the harder I fall
embarrassed I shut down
and take a back seat
to watch Lazarus’ sisters
Mary and Martha bonding in my brain
the laid back lobe tells the frontal
don’t count on me
cuing Martha who heats up, talks incessantly
compensating for her lazy sister
“hey,” Martha cries, “hey, hey! Don’t you care?
I’m working alone here!”

I care
I feel the fire in my forehead
frustration flaring behind flesh and bone
like the flame of an Olympic torch
handed off from one lofty idea to another
until finally the crowd applauds as one
and the real game begins.

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