POPPYSEED CAKE

And failing a drug test...

While I was sitting in the impossibly small greige room, I started to take inventory to calm my nerves …

One jar cotton balls, one jar tongue depressors, three boxes latex gloves—small, medium, large—one red box hanging on the wall with “SHARPS” stamped across the top in bright yellow block letters, one examination table upholstered in greige vinyl with …