[the Writing of Kuypers]    [JanetKuypers.com]    [Bio]    [Poems]    [Prose]

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her Periodic Table poem Thallium/U> live 2/23/14 at Chemistry, Poetry and a Brat in Kenosha WI at the Brat Stop (C)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her Periodic Table poem Thallium live 2/23/14 at Chemistry, Poetry and a Brat in Kenosha WI at the Brat Stop (C, Edge Detection)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ 2 poems Arsenic and Syphilis & Juxtaposition, or Irony? from memory; then she read her 2 Periodic Table poems Potassium Chloride and Thallium at Georgetown’s Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s 2/26/16 (w/ a Cps).

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers’ 2 poems Arsenic and Syphilis & Juxtaposition, or Irony? from memory; then she read her 2 Periodic Table poems Potassium Chloride and Thallium at Georgetown’s Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s 2/26/16 (w/ a Nikon).

Thallium Janet Kuypers from the “Periodic Table of Poetry” series (#81, Tl) started 2/7/14, finished 2/8/14 I swirled the wine glass in my hand. I watched the red wine swirl, creeping it’s way to the lip as I hypnotically observe the vortex. I like drinking my red wine from those low, wide-mouthed glasses so you could smell the sweet aroma without even drinking. But now, now I check my fingernails, looking for dark ridges. I wonder if I should pull out a few hairs and check the roots for telltale stripes. I scan my brain to check if I have enemies, the coast seems clear, but still I fear that this precious liquid I hold in my hand could be the vehicle for my demise. And no, my liver’s fine, it was just tested, and I’m not talking about alcohol poisoning unless it’s because someone put something in my drink I wouldn’t taste, or smell, or see. But my brain now flashes to Thallium, this superconductor, once used to treat syphilis, gonorrhea, or even tuberculosis is such a highly toxic heavy metal that it was used for rat poisoning, and sometimes even for hair removal (yeah, trace amounts of Thallium can even make you lose your hair). But the thing is, I’ve heard that if you drop it into somethnig like, say, red wine, no one would be the wiser and you could kill someone without your victim even knowing they were ever in danger. If I keep this up, I’ll really start to worry whenever my stomach hurts, whenever I feel nauseous, or even have diarrhea. If I feel numbness, or tingling and pain, I’ll second-guess myself. I’ll have to check the shower drain for excessive hair loss, and I’ll check my fingernails and follicles again to make sure I’m in the clear.

 

Copyright © Janet Kuypers.

All rights reserved. No material
may be reprinted without express permission.

Like Janet Kuypers’ writing on any of these links below: