To Be Paralyzed

(A pantoum)

They start with the Novocain,
Then, pliers, film-noir hammers.
Great metallic fangs, frosted with anticipation,
Find a resting place on sweet, quivering lips.

Oh, the pliers, the film-noir hammers!
Connective tissue splinters;
It finds a resting place on sweet, quivering lips.
How many forms does the breakdown take?

Connective tissue splinters,
And the medicinal bliss grows dull.
The breakdown too frequently manifests itself
In the honest hypnopaedia of the laughing gas.

The medicinal bliss grows dull,
All the remains: A pair of glassy eyes, one head of unruly curls.
In the honest hypnopaedia of the laughing gas,
All our teeth extract the same.