Biopsy

Either nothing
or leukemia or nothing or
multiple myeloma or nothing
a tumor, the long needle, the shattered
bone, the blood cell count, the EKG, the EEG,
nothing, the cyst, the rash, the clot, the scream, the sigh,
the “let’s just be sure,” the “let’s rule it out,” the “this may pinch
just a little bit,” the nothing of nothing, the “would you like to speak
with the doctor?” the “we’ll see you again in a week,” the nothing of waiting,
the nothing of knowing, the nothing-nothing of scraping and cutting,
of “inconclusive” and “suspicious,” the nothing of referrals
six months in the future, of “let’s just try one more thing,
shall we? Shall we? Are you available? Are you?”