Circumvention of fear

They drew more blood from the veins

in my arm than had every been drawn

from any living creature, or so it felt,

laying there on the hospital bed

with my left arm extended, my eyes closed.

I started closing my eyes when blood was drawn

from me, years ago, so that I would not struggle

with the nurse, as I had started to do,

in that period of my life. Giving blood scared me.

Giving blood really scared me, and I learned

that by closing my eyes and not watching

the blood enter the syringe that I could circumvent the fear.