Alien skin

You knew someone felt it too when the screeching head sprung out of that guy in Alien. But there was no warning until the siren. No heading advice on the ups and downs of an extraterrestrial breakout or how to treat broken skin, ribs.
How arrogant, or lazy, they don't tell you about the mornings after. Reenactments made out of dreams and air. The humming fan. Concentrate on the siren. No small shots, deep breath. No caffeine. They didn't warn you and even if they did you can't piece together the ripped organs, intestines.
Someone could have written a book. A self-help best-seller. Clues for stain removal. Stitches upkeep. No coffee before the tail is through. How to rehabilitate the empty space, panic in the bedroom window.

(Written by Monica Hooper, 10:48 a.m. Saturday, May 22, 2010)