battleground

hot breath fanned over my spine
as bamboo shoots of pain seeped in my pores.
the buzzing popped my right ear drum
and the bittersweet of balm clammed the air.

my hands suffocated the one I was holding.
harsh lighting forced my eyes closed.
every inch of my being crawled and ached for the pain to stop.
my toes and fingers cinched,
waiting for the relief that seemed forever never to come.
numbing endorphins had long ago been spent.

lava hands pulled my skin taut.
anticipation rigid in my frame.
the buzzing roared to life once more,
needles pulsated in the layers of my tissue

In hindsight I had suffered three more hours after that
my back a battleground of ink and inflamed skin
the outcome was worth it