sentience

i’m quiet because i’m listening to myself

—the guinea pig one is always experimenting with—,

because i’m going under the knife

once again without anesthesia

because it’s his turn to experiment with me,

to make his own arrangements and make me eligible

for more pain or disappointment,

for more gaiety or denouement

i’m quiet because he’s rinsing my mouth

as we speak,

pushing my tongue to the side,

the obstruction

c. a. campos, 2008.