"Galantamine" by Chase Dimock

Galantamine

Mythology tells us the narcissus blooms
from the spot where a beautiful young man
fell in love with his reflection and drowned.
Along the banks, daffodils bow in mourning.

Today, scientists have learned to synthesize
galantamine from the narcissus bulb, a drug
that slows, but does not stop the onset of
Alzheimer’s, stilling the surface of the pond
before your face ripples away from you
and the hall of mirrors lining your skull only
reflect themselves.

Perhaps memory requires a pinch of narcissism
to remain rooted in our minds: a bulb planted
in the fall, cemented in the freeze of winter, stem
peeking out sheepishly in spring like an onion
forgotten in the back of the pantry, until its bold
petals claim the dirt beneath your fingernails
as its own.

Chase Dimock

Chase Dimock lives in Los Angeles in a four-person household, including a human partner, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel companion, and a four-foot tall statue of Slimer from Ghostbusters. He serves as the Managing Editor of As It Ought To Be magazine and makes his living teaching literature and writing. His debut book of poetry, Sentinel Species, came out in 2020 from Stubborn Mule Press.

Headshot: Salvador Rios

Photo Credit: Staff