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The first time,
a wasp's angry sting
is no big deal.
Then whoa! I start to itch,
hives, welts even in my nose
and mouth, tongue swells,
I flail, gasp, lungs fill,
drowning. Then
neitherherenorthere,
people waltz slow mo,
voices echo, fade.
It's been nice, I think.
Nice.
In Canada, EpiPens cost ten bucks
if you can get there before you die.
Sarah Russell has returned to poetry after a career teaching, writing and editing academic prose. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Kentucky Review, Red River Review, Misfit Magazine, TheNewVerse.News, and Shot Glass Journal, among others. Her poem “Denouement” won the Goodreads poetry contest.