Trans Orbital Lobotomy
in through the eye
device adapted from an ice pick
the space between the cornea & tear duct tears
little incisions along the frontal lobe
you open the grapefruit
you open the grape
you open
in the '50s there were tens of thousands performed in the states
sour mess. sour mash. mashup. macerate.
cut a rug. jitterbug. wonder drug. gutter. tug. suture. lacerate.
erasure. erase. raced. deadened. dead end.
end. replace.
once a doctor removed the frontal lobe of an aggressive ape
what followed was a column of ants
your relative made new & easy to manage
a miracle
Copyright © 2017 by sam sax. “Trans Orbital Lobotomy” originally appeared in Madness (Penguin, 2017). Reprinted with permission of the author.