Laid down flat

Added 13 October 1997

Laid down flat

Laid down flat,
a heavy, brittle blanket
pressed firm against me,
I lay motionless,
face down,
unable to move.
I feel a chill from
the cold glass below,
and the cold plastic above
. I hear a noise,
nearly indiscernible,
metal on metal,
like coins falling into
a vending machine.
I wish I could see
what is happening to me.
Suddenly, I hear a low,
yet sharp, click.
the table I am pressed against
roars into instant life.
A bright light moves
slowly beneath the glass,
blinding all my senses,
emitting a burning heat
that surges through
my thin and frail body
and heats the plastic blanket.
The light moves
from head to toe
and back again,
but more quickly going back.
The heat is so intense,
I'm sure that if it were possible,
I would be covered in sweat.
Then, the blanket is lifted
and I am greeted by a cool breeze.
I am picked up by a giant claw
and placed in a
cardboard sleeping bag,
face to face with someone
who looks a lot like me,
no, exactly like me.
In fact, a perfect photocopy.

Written 22 November 1991