the hot dog catasrophe

starving,

though not really starving,

although my

stomach has a tendency to lie

on occasion.

i pull a hot dog

out from a plastic wrapper

pushed to the rear

of the shelf

in the refrigerator.

i roll it around on a plate

and examine it closely

after searching

the cupboard for another option

like peanut butter

or tuna fish, but

nope. nothing there.

but the hot dog looks okay.

i don't see any green

spots,

or grey darkening the pinkish sides.

so i send it to the microwave

to cook.

three minutes later

after it settles down a little,

and stops wiggling,

i give it a nice swath

of brown mustard

and a spoon full of sweet

relish.

all on a soft bun,

also not moldy.

three hours later i'm in the ICU

with a glucose

line

attached to my vein

and wearing an extra-large pair

of Depends.