blood
today i had some "tests."

i know the science. i know i have a lot of blood. enough to spare, at that. but something about getting blood drawn always triggers an unfounded greed.

give it back, you blood hoards! i need every last ounce! i will die!

the same lab employee that's always there - the german-looking young guy with the inappropriate comments - caught my eye as i cringed at the sight of the needle and gigantic vile to steal my blood. in passing, he made some joke about whether he'd need to hold me down. then he proceeds to come back around the corner and watch as the lab tech slides the needle far too slowly into the inside crease of my elbow. he adds a little more pressure to get the last few milliliters/gallons of the vile filled, and then pulls the needle out. far too slowly. i accidentally trace my eyes past the gloved hands, past the needle, to where the deep red blood swishes around in the rounded glass vile. the gigantic rounded glass vile. my stomach flips, the same way it does when someone you're in love with brushes their hand against yours for the first time. except this sucked.

and to top it off, they were testing for anemia. they're hoards, i tell you. hoards!