A Fundamental Pause

Trenches, teeth, and jagged witch’s hats march
In a red neon ribbon across the EKG screen.
Puffs of air ruffle the mustache
Grey lips open past a silent scream

I silence the beeping.
My thumb rests on the plunger’s plastic ridges.
I raise my eyebrows; he nods.

I press the plunger to the hilt,
Unscrew the empty, screw in the flush, press again.
Medicine courses from vein to liver to heart.

On screen
Trenches fill, teeth grind flat
Line from left to right

This is the moment God shows up

Then I let the monitor sound again

Krista Puttler has called many places home including the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, Japan, and a stateroom on an aircraft carrier. Her writing has appeared in Under the Gum Tree, Cagibi, and Fixator Press, among others. She lives outside Naples, Italy with her husband and three daughters. More at kristaputtler.com