sometimes they don't go down properly. that sickening routine, glass of water in the evening and down goes the dose.
sometimes the gelatine sticks. i feel it in my throat, drink water and eat a morsel to try and force it down.
other times i don't feel it at all.
i push the thought to the back of my mind, to that secret place where you keep phone numbers and the clothes you were wearing when you last had your keys.
absorbed in something, eyes trained on a screen or a task or maybe nothing at all
and suddenly i cough.
up comes a burning cloud of fine white dust, in my eyes and throat and mouth and nose
it's everywhere, a foul chemical burning taste that i can hardly describe. there's almost a metallic taste to it but not quite, more like soap or methanol.
retching over the sink until it clears.
the first time it happened, i missed the train to pitsea.