emergency

the day my ovary exploded was the most tranquil of my life.

maybe because the blanket in which they cocooned me was heated, or because the socks they put on my feet were duckling-soft. maybe because of the way the surgeon smiled and said, “don’t worry. you’ll be okay.” or maybe because my family showed up to see if i would live or die.

i was 30 and a nihilist. when the pain was so bad i vomited directly onto the hospital bed, i felt like a buddha. like the brow of my inner sky had finally unfurrowed.

in retrospect, it was probably all the heroin they gave me. but i’d rather believe it was the socks.

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© 2025 nessa jasper