Performed at UCLA Radiology
SPECIMEN: On the last day of January—
a winter fruit, pomegranate. I was
proud to tie a bow behind my back
without looking. IMPRESSIONS: Transitional
anatomy. Mild lumbosacral facet arthritis. Normal
hips. IMPRESSIONS: My morning skin
debossed around my wrist where the beads
pressed under sleep and pressure. I piled
many bags on the passenger seat, set off a warning
light. The sunrise commute, the sunset
commute. A podcast in traffic: How far are you willing
to go to heal? Another: What kind of psychic are you?
Because of the rain, I finally switched on
the overhead lights. I left the classroom
before the substitute arrived. In March,
I tied another bow behind my back,
placed my clothes in a locker. For a short
or long amount of time, a lead apron
covered my blue gown, weighed me against
the table. And really, there was no chance
of pregnancy. SIGNED BY: Performing organization.
10:34 AM. When they weren't tugging on my bracelets,
I taught the kindergartners to sort. Is the Universe
sending you signs? I asked the children questions
while I looked for my insurance card, identified
pressure from pain. NARRATIVE: May—
I was ready to swallow my garnet birth
-stone. I needed the crystals to work. I needed
the psychics to work. I needed to organize
earth-colored tablets by the days of the week, keep them
stored in a cool, dry place. I kept cool, fatigued. I kept quiet,
worked. PROCEDURE NOTE: 613 seeds on average, swollen
winter fruit. I needed quiet, organized garnet, morning
pomegranate. PROCEDURE NOTE: The medium
by the beach, the healer in Highland Park, the psychic
over the phone described a past
life kicked in the ribs. COMPARISON:
None. INDICATION: Chronic. A rudimentary rib
on the right of what is considered L1. The session
recorded. COMPARISON: Always. FINDINGS:
Pain. The healer identified a glass cased tree
in my womb. FINDINGS: A rudimentary fruit.
There was nonspecific straightening
of the spine. Posterior fusion
failure. The psychic found frayed
cords. There were no fractures or subluxations,
no fibrocystic foci or labral calcifications. Minimal
spur formation at the pubic symphysis. What kind of specimen
are you? The children in a circle, the x-ray projected
into synthetic light, faith, a clipboard performance
of the twenty-six-page summary, the inherited
narrative, swollen and insignificant.