pavlov researches toxicology, sips a latte

rowen erickson

and it comes with the question, how much caffeine can i consume
before something stops working. before my heart and
the fire the acupuncturist told me was there, consumes me

before the cherry frappe microplastics are in my bloodstream
and after the metal sludge drained by clay bath goes down the drain
when i touched it like it was poison for entertainment when my

coffee is decaf with an espresso shot and it's up to me to figure out
which part cancels out. where the milligram dosage of melatonin
becomes more than the caffeine blocking the natural receptors on

this roller coaster ride of two needles in my ribs and disobeying means
drinking cold water which takes a toll to be boiled and
puts me to sleep in an over heated bed. and i'm standing at 

the counter wondering about their chalkboard sign, advertising
reusable cups while my mother grills a barista on food coloring
and syrups and begins the lesson on chemicals and damage 

clipped out of a scientific article, bent to her will and it causes
cancer and deficiencies and i’m washing ink covered skin that will 
mutate and become toxic one day, and yet it is sloshing in my soles 

sinking through muscle and degrading my body and the christian
prayer miracles that will somehow get the needle to heal me.

Rowen Erickson is currently a junior at Interlochen Arts Academy. Attending boarding school in northern Michigan, they enjoy browsing entomology and being a creative writing major. Rowen has received Gold Keys from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and has been featured in VIBE. They have written short stories, plays, poetry, and they are dipping their toes into hybrid work