Interlude
We’re all here for our annual health screening
Strangers bound together by chance
Sharing the hospital facilities for what feels like eternity
We alternate between inspection, the wait and the interrogation
We’re poked and prodded
Stung by needles that pierce
And extract our life force with full gusto
Cold gel slathered and wiped down
Metallic objects thrust at every body part
Those long steely appendages eager to know us more intimately
But can’t be bothered with sweet talk or foreplay
We’re isolated and cornered ever so often
Breasts squashed and twisted
Oxygen levels measured
Eyes and ears tested for peak performance
Weight and height recorded for posterity
Innards exposed
Waste products scrutinized for bad behavior only we know about
The only respite is this hospital corridor
20 minutes of silent commiseration or polite conversation
Connected by our anxiety and identical morose hospital gowns
We’re waiting to get a ‘not guilty’ verdict from the establishment
Perfect excuse for yet another year of decadence
Until judgement day is here again
