The Following Scan Will Last Four Minutes

By Lieke Marsman

Before you sink away
into the morphinesweet unreality of the everyday
we would like to say something
about those spasms and fasciculations of yours
as well as that bump on your back

For years you have no doubt been googling every freckle
Just recently
you were at the doctor’s with a patch of dry skin on your leg
Diagnosis: too much shower gel
But on hearing the word chondrosarcoma
you went home and immediately unplugged your router
Do you know where your priorities lie?

Do you know what life has to offer
or did those endless therapy sessions
and that eight-week mindfulness course
simply teach you how to tolerate suffering
that every signal in your body
can be temporarily expelled
to the rhythm of some breathing exercise?
Let the pain be
To be free is to be free of need
Wrong
To be free is to need some fresh air
and to be able to get up and go outside

Don’t say we didn’t warn you
Translated from the Dutch

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