vitrectomy

inspired by the traumatic events post my husband’s second eye surgery

cockroach skittering
through dim hospital room
i crush it
underfoot
swiping yellow innards
across tile
my own carapace just as
delicate
iridescent
eye shield
a discarded seashell
glinting
against porcelain
ring of dried blood
and orange antiseptic
fretwork of burst veins
spiderwebbing
anatomy of our life drained
needle in the vitreous