the stress test never ends

two and a half minutes, he tells me

until the end of the stress test

but it never will end

he amps up the speed and tilt of the treadmill

I am breathing through my mouth

two and a half minutes

turns to three

to another ten

stretching asymptote toward infinity

my mouth is dry, I can hear my heart

it is gonzo John Bonham, pumping the bass drum

Josh, the lab attendant, pushes at my back

holding me on the treadmill which slows, tilts downward

I am confused and drowning

in the air that surrounds me, that is inside me

there is not enough of it

water would be so good right now

but the ocean is salt

and I am heading for the door

for the water fountain

because you have to start somewhere

when the world is your oyster

and you are allergic to shellfish