a pale-white speck nests between your knuckles
fingers retreat, dread coils throat
what if the rift conjured in the lab
unleashed alien microbes that
once disturbed will skitter up the arm and
worm inside your ear to procreate?
courage found, you flick the speck
it was only parmesan cheese
but you wash hands again,
ignoring
the swollen red irritation
a hair strand tickles shoulder
or an ant-like alien
crawling up your neck?
exposure is a hellish thing,
with portals to unknown worlds now gaping
maybe it’s time to bar all entries—plug earholes, nostrils, mouth
no more academic words swarming your cranium bee-like
no stinking formaldehyde, chemical assault
no ins for anyone to exploit
you yank the cabinet open,
and with a knife
tear off some cotton balls
 |
Akis Linardos is a writer of bizarre things, a biomedical AI scientist, and maybe human. He’s also a Greek that hops across countries as his career(s) and exploration urges demand. Find his words in Apex Magazine, Heartlines Spec, Strange Horizons, and visit his lair for more: akislinardos.com. | |