A Week Off
I got a wee cough
nothing serious
just persistent
my wife seemed cool
a little distant
and resistant
to anything I offered
by way of a joke
“I told you not to smoke”
she sounded
very satisfied
I sighed.
I went to see the doctors
got sent for tests
to know the truth
it’s for the best
“You’ve got Big C”
they said with max reverb
I said “Oh?
How long? What chances?
Why does my voice echo?
What’s the word?
I threw up
in the institute
in the chemo
on the radio
but after stem ginger
more carrots
than you could
shake a stick at
and what puritan joys
I could afford
I settled into micro-life
it was jolly
in the ward.
When I slid away from them
all the friends I’d met that day
and all the ones from decades back
it was a wondrous journey
the best I’ve made….
a starry tunnel then the light
shining reunion with mother
in a long white dress
and a young beauty again.
She said
“Who’s that dreadful girl
you were with?”
I looked back
saw my wife
mouthing the words
“I told you so!”
