Normal

The heart monitor blinks, whips up a number

in seconds. Mechanical release of pressure decides —

Will you need more medicine? Will the doctor prescribe

milligrams discerning,

a remarkable chemical compound,

Miraculous! In time the number settles

into a normal range just as mundane as crumbs

waffling on the counter after the sharp cusp of a knife

scours crisp bread with vegan margarine

avocado toast and eggs, sunshine bleeds

along a squeaky-clean windowsill peering into a back

lane of rambling dark forms forlorn behind bins

filled with yesterday’s pizza boxes and toilet paper.

Hands scuttle through bile odors to salvage

One, maybe two crusts

How many bins does it take to find enough?

A miraculous compound of crust and crumbs to settle

desperation into a fitful sleep on a concrete bed.

Featured Image: early Sumerian pictograph of si = ‘normal’
**See post The Sophistication of Sumerian Culture for source