POEM | FREE VERSE | CHALLENGE

Walking the Mile

A shocking experience

In my ear crawls that southern drawl —

walking the mile walking the mile walking The Green Mile.

Dragging my clogged feet along the corridor, I’m prepared for the procedure,

calm like the nurse explaining every process step, cool like the stainless steel cart on wheels, carrying the instruments for precision, collected like the scalpel, bucket, and smallest scissors.

Evenly spaced, we line the walls, absent of regret, not second-guessing the decision.

It’s all quite hygienic.

The doctor rolls on one, reminding me of the wet sponge squeezed over the head of a soon-to-be electrocuted prisoner, the orangish antiseptic dripping over temples, sculpting the traditional aesthetic.

I wince with the first snip.

Good, not a bleeder.

I watch the nurse lift the lid like a Marsh Wheeling cigar box, retrieving gauze in shock.

Unable to decipher its contents, my mind silently shouts —

corn bread crumb? tail of mouse? lost wing nut?

From her mouth, a swarm of flies buzzes out,

swirling in the sign of the cross, an appropriate response.

What was that doing in the first-aid kit anyway?

Fucking Percy, the doctor snaps. Grasping and pinching with the ends of the clamp, he flings it —

a scrap of skin from the last circumcision.

It’s over, no need for mercy, despite what you might be thinking.

My son’s tears were mere whimpers, crying no longer than it took John Coffey to breathe life back into Mr. Jingles.

I lift him from the table and rock him all the way back down the corridor, pressed cheek-to-cheek like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire riding the lightning across the dance floor.

For anyone who has not seen the movie The Green Mile, which I highly recommend, I am linking this scene (without spoilers) as a source of inspiration.

This challenge requires the inclusion of the “What was that doing in the first-aid kit anyway?” question.

I felt like I needed to connect the human body to the first-aid kit and choose an unexpected small object. I recalled every medical procedure I’ve had or witnessed.

Within minutes, a scrap of skin from the last circumcision came to mind and had a nice ring to it, so I went with it. My mind often associates events and images with movies. I re-watched The Green Mile over the weekend for further inspiration.

I ask that any and all complaints kindly be directed to Editor Extraordinaire Martin Morrison for presenting this challenge linked below. I must admit, I participated in this challenge with the sole purpose of getting his reaction. You gotta love an editor with a sense of humor who isn’t all uppity.

American writer, who likes a challenge