Operation

Yesterday she made an incision
Under the soft breast tissue, between two
Slight ribs, into the aorta
Twisted it there to experience the searing
Anxiety with the rush of blood loss and power
Accepted the pain like tattoos with
Satisfaction and blood that must be wiped away.
Piercings rarely bled gratifying her less
Like the men who approach her frailty with
expectation

She was a child who spun on the playground
Arms outstretched grasping for the wind,
Eyes wide to the clouds, ignoring the dizziness
To appreciate the same utopian euphoria she
Finds in Extasy on her chipboard dresser or
Ecstasy of a man's desire on her bedroom rug
Beneath the sweating body of her latest fuck

No further than the freefall to the playground
From the lurching empty swing. Once in a while
These things all make you bleed. She might
Drink her blood or her next-door neighbor's if
Her stomach was not so weak. A vampiress
To the core with scalpel and happy childhood
Memory of natural highs long lost like natural
Eye color or given name.
April 25, 2001