I sit and wheeze and sneeze
Then the cough goes off
My head pounds gently
Like the subtle tap of a pile driver
On the river’s edge
Boom boom boom
Cough
Boom boom boom
Cough
Boom boom boom
The vice holding my chest
In a lovers embrace
Tightens a little
Then I cough
And my bladder demands to be emptied
I sneeze again
Then run to relieve myself before I cough again
Water is the culprit so I drink more
It has to go in to come out
Pain pills
Inhalers
Tissues
Blankets
Slippers
Cats
Cats!
They ground me and keep me warm
Reminding me this won’t last forever
That life will return
Three jabs ensured that
Just one more
Sneeze
Cough
Wheeze
Cough
Boom boom boom
Cough