Little Miss Donated-Blood-Anyway

Lyrics

[Intro]
Tuesday. Two-thirty on the dot.
The bell on the clinic door chimes once, politely.
Same vinyl chairs, same faded posters on the wall.
A quiet room of small duties.

[Verse 1]
Pen clicks. "Have you traveled outside the country?" No.
"Any new tattoos since June?" No.
The little spring-loaded device on my middle finger.
A sharp prick, a tiny, perfect bead of red.
She nods. "Good enough."
The phlebotomist smiles, a kind, tired smile.
"Number four, on the left, dear."
The clean, sharp smell of the alcohol wipe.
Cold on the inside of my elbow.
A searching finger finds the vein.

[Chorus]
And a part of me just goes out.
Down the clear tube, into the bag.
One pint for a stranger downstream.
A name I will never know.
A face I will never see.
It's just a Tuesday afternoon.
It's just a small, purple bruise tomorrow.
And I do it anyway.

[Verse 2]
I watch the bag fill.
The dark, serious red against the white sheet.
The machine rocks it, a slow, electric cradle.
A-Positive. That's my name for the next ten minutes.
I think about a car crash on I-95 south of the city.
A long surgery in a bright white room.
A baby born too small, too soon.
Are you there? Are you waiting for me?

[Chorus]
And a part of me just goes out.
Down the clear tube, into the bag.
One pint for a stranger downstream.
A name I will never know.
A face I will never see.
It's just a Tuesday afternoon.
It's just a small, purple bruise tomorrow.
And I do it anyway.

[Bridge]
The needle slides out clean.
"Just hold good pressure on that for me."
A white cotton ball, pressed down hard.
Then the bright blue wrap, always a little too tight.
The faint metallic taste of my own iron.
She hands me the apple juice.
The tiny straw.
An oatmeal cookie in a crinkling sleeve.
My quiet reward.
My only receipt for the love given away.

[Outro]
Back out into the low afternoon sun.
The world hasn't changed.
The bus sighs at the corner.
My arm is a little sore under my sleeve.
But somewhere, a centrifuge is spinning.
And a part of me is starting a new journey.
Anonymous.
Headed for a stranger.
Just... headed out.