Poems — January & February

Here’s a batch of poems from January and February.

Imaging

Drove to the imaging facility
To get a look at my lungs
Check in on them
Since this relentless cough
Has taken me over
It was early morning
After dropping off the first grader
Nothing had been ordered
So I went back home
Slept for four hours like it was forty minutes
Drove back in the afternoon
Results were sent to the Primary Care doctor
Maybe it was too late in the day
I’m already taking the antibiotics
And the prescription cough pill
Maybe it was unnecessary
Memories of 2017’s pneumonia complications
And hospitalization propel me to check
Maybe the lungs are fine this time.
Maybe it was RSV or COVID but I tested too late
To confirm. Everything is negative now
Two weeks later
But the deep breath remains elusive.