After I fell
in the bathtub
when trying to take a shower
I blacked out.

I didn’t realize I blacked out though.
I guess I just thought I was napping.

I didn’t put it together
the second time either
but I knew I was shaky
getting out of the tub
and over to the toilet
and then tumbling to the living room floor
to lay out for a while
to get myself together.

When later I tried to get up
my knees buckled
and I didn’t make it
and down to the ground
again I went.

This time
my mother tried to stop me
and we crashed skulls.

I crawled my way back to the bathroom
and thought that perhaps
something was wrong.

The head bump sealed the deal.
We cabbed to the hospital
to intake
to discover
when they tried to take my urine
and five minutes in the bathroom
eking out almost nothing
that I was ever so slightly dehydrated.

The head bump meant nothing.
So did the dehydration.
They pumped me with liquids
and sent me on my way
and I learned
not to walk six sunny miles
on eight ounces of water.