the blue light special

the dermatologist

puts

this giant helmet over my head,

not unlike the ones

you see in old

movies

where women are sitting

in chairs

in beauty salons.

it covers my face,

and emits a powerful

force

of pain in pulsating

blue lights.

this will kill off all

those pesky

pre-cancerous cells, the nurse

says with a smile.

so i go along with it.

i'm a sucker for nurses.

i assume she's a nurse,

she's wearing peach scrubs,

while the doctor

is wearing dark blue.

before she starts

the treatment she asks me

what music would i like 

to listen to while

i'm being tortured.

hmmm.

not sure.

anything but rap or country

i tell her.

she laughs, you old white

guys are all the same.

then she pushes the button.

i grip the chair

and try to breathe,

asking God for forgiveness.