GUM

I REALLY LIKE EATING GUM. UPON TAKING THE INITIAL BITE, MY TEETH SINK INTO A BLOCK OF WAX, SLICING THE TEXTURED SURFACE THROUGH TO A SWEET CORE. THE SATISFACTION OF BREAKING THROUGH AND UNLOCKING THE FLAVOR IS ENUNCIATED BY A RAZOR-SHARP SOUND THAT REVERBERATES THROUGHOUT MY SKULL, COMMENCING THE EXPLOSION OF TASTE IN MY MOUTH. MY MOUTH BEGINNING TO SURGE, THE PIECE BECOMES BIGGER THAN ITSELF, RADIATING THROUGHOUT MY CHEEKS AS IT TAKES ON A NEW SHAPE WITH EVERY SUBSEQUENT CHEW. THE PIECE OF WAX IN MY MOUTH IS NO LONGER A DEFINED ENTITY, BUT RATHER A FORMLESS FEELING, A SEAMLESS INTEGRATION WITH MY CURRENT STATE OF BEING. MY JAWS PUSH AND PULL THROUGH THE RESISTANCE, MY MOUTH OPENING AND CLOSING FREQUENTLY TO WELCOME COLD TO WARMTH, MY TONGUE MOVING THE PIECE AROUND TO EVENLY DISTRIBUTE THE TENSION TO EACH SINGLE TOOTH. WITH EACH CHEW A DIFFERENT REGION OF MY BRAIN SPARKLES: MY MEDIAL TEMPORAL LOBE GLIMMERS AND CHILLS ARE SENT DOWN MY HIPPOCAMPUS. FOCUSED, CALM, FIXATED, I FLOW.

THE FLAVOR BEGINS TO FADE, LIKE ALL THINGS IN LIFE. THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY INTENSIFIES, FUELED BY REPETITION AND CARE–LIKE ALL THINGS IN LIFE. MY TEETH REACH DEEP INTO THE LITTLE PIECE TO SQUEEZE OUT THE LAST REMAINING NOTES OF FLAVOR, AND MY FINGERS REACH DEEP INTO THE PACKET TO BRING FORTH ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE. FRESH MEETS OLD, AND THE PROCESS RE-INITIATES, THIS TIME LAYERED INTO A MORE DETAILED EXPERIENCE. MORE LIFE IS INJECTED INTO THE WAX, INTO MY MOUTH, AND INTO MY BRAIN. THE AMALGAMATED MASS GROWS LARGER AND LARGER, EACH NEW PIECE COALESCING MORE SEAMLESSLY WITH THE LAST. THE LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN THE ENTRANCE OF THE LAST PIECE AND THE NEXT ONE SLICES IN HALF. SOON I CAN’T COUNT HOW MANY PIECES I’VE EATEN. SOON THE PACK IS OVER. I REALLY LIKE EATING GUM.