Twenty-two bones in the head
two temporal lobes
produce the sense of I. A sense is
a collection of cells, electricity, fat, fluid. An aura is
ecstatic birth. An aura is
the tiniest roller coaster. The baby pinks.
The temporal lobe is critical
for language recognition
religious voices. Swelling,
swallowing, rising tides.
An aura is a familiar voice, déjà vu.
Seizures given like gifts
to children. Heracles lost Hylas to water.
High fever. Lil Wayne, Dostoyevsky. Wild Thing.
Jamais vu.
As the wave spreads, senses flicker.
Wash out. A sense
is a collection of cells, electricity, fat, fluid. A sense
something uncoils the I.
red nesbitt (they/them) is a poet, reluctant social worker, and organizer living on Piscataway lands in so-called Baltimore. Their work has appeared in Dream Pop Press, Poetry Project’s Footnotes and is forthcoming in Protean.