EASY DOES IT The dentist is tired of mouths; the mower, tired of grass. In the same way, I turn page after page, looking for some new thrill. The habit is consoling; each sheet of this book is secured to the spine. In the reclining chair, the expert says I won't lose the tooth. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Things split into most and least desirable: the weeds or the wacker, Novocaine or the drill. Despite all precautions, the needle nicks a nerve. Numbness a kind of monotony.

Will I feel anything ever again? Answer: maybe not. I said it before, and I'll say it forever: the tree has bark for a reason. Nothing ever does it easy. Blink twice if you're fine. It's hard to cry out with a mouth full of hands. Do no harm , the bulldozer yells, then razes your home to the ground. Excerpt from EASY DOES IT by Jennifer Moore. copyright © 2021 by the university of akron press.