by Rae Miller
As I hold the long rubber handle in my right hand
And use my left to clip in a new cartridge of blades,
I am hit
With the Weight
Of everything it took
To get me standing here
On a Thursday morning, preparing to shave my sideburns and trim my beard –
Already not thinking about it,
Already seeing shaving my face as the mundane chore it is:
158 injections into my thigh,
54 vials of thick opaque liquid in glass vials from Walgreens,
3 doctors,
2 therapists,
1 surgery,
And 1.4 million people like me in this country alone –
Holding me up so I can stand here –
