I once stapled a piece of paper to my finger.
It wasn’t on purpose.
A sixth sense registered it was about to happen
but action, already set in motion, demanded I see it through to fruition.
And, perhaps because of the forewarning, when the staple pierced my skin,
I didn’t cry out,
rationalizing,
it would have felt excessive. Melodramatic.
But in the years since,
when I think back,
in random moments such as this,
if I could go back in time,
to that instant moment after,
even with knowing what was about to happen,
maybe I would cry out,
so as not to shortchange me of the vocal experience 😬😜😊