While You Were Sleeping

Dust rises from soil and spins
centrifuge-style around nucleus
merry-go-round, mitochondrion swimming in
cytoplasm kiddy pool. One cell to two.
Two cells to trillion, hovering, electric hum.
Sparks of white-hot light from cell to cell
until phantom frame is skeletal, spinal cord wired
to corresponding nerves, numb hands not now can
feel pain, the cold, the hot.
Sinews and tendons and connective ligaments
stretched taut below capillaries with the switch
turned to ON, molten lava liquid now steadily pumped.
Celestial breath to raise the chest,
hot oxygen to carbon bond. Pupils alive,
rods and cones explode monochrome to kaleidoscope.




Featured Image: Album Artwork from Deep Breakfast, Ray Lynch’s second album and was released in 1984.

Paloma Douglas

Paloma Douglas

Paloma Douglas lives in the Denver metro area and works in education. She graduated
from Dallas Theological Seminary, where she studied media and communication.