THE MOUTH OF THE DOCTOR
I went to see
a doctor
of sorts
because more
and more I felt
the bulking
of memories
inside me
and time
itself was crowding
my organs
and starting
to leak out
through my eyes
my hair follicles
my dreams
slicing me
at the sites
of departure
the doctor
listened as I
explained this
then opened
her mouth
to speak but what
came out instead
of words was this
very small owl
which had
apparently
been perched
on her tongue
then her eyes
went blank as if
she had left
the room although
she remained
and the owl
hovered before
my face
staring at me
with the same
expectant look
the doctor
had previously
been wearing
so unsure
what else to do
I began to explain
myself again
to the owl
this time
about what time
and memory seemed
to be doing
the leaking
the sites
of departure etc.
and when
I finished
the owl let
itself drift
down to the carpeted
floor where it
spread out
its wings
wide so each
feather was fully
exposed and in
that instant
a tiny
snail emerged
from the wings
it had
been camped between
the folds
of feathers
apparently
and like
the doctor
previously
the owl
now seemed
to leave
the room without
truly leaving but
the snail
the snail was most
definitely here
and was
in fact climbing
slowly up the leg
of my jeans
I did not
exactly want
to touch it or
it to touch me
and in
that instant
the instant I
acknowledged this
although I had
acknowledged it
only to myself
the snail began
to turn
around and crawl
back down
my jeans
then onto my shoe
then onto the beige
carpet and back
up the narrow
leg of the owl
embedding
itself once
again into the folds
of feathers and
the owl
having waited
patiently for this
to happen seemed
to reenter
the room
and turned
and flew
back into
the mouth
of the doctor which
had remained
open ever since
first opening
but it closed now
the instant the owl
flew into it