Life Underwater

Emphysema is like living underwater, Surrounded by an ocean of air, Which just can't get where it needs to be Even if you lie quietly In your home, your lair You wake up gasping As if you ran Up three flights of stairs And there are many moments When you have terrible scares It's uncurable It's progressive It's fatal, And but a matter of time you have left And anybody's guess Of how many years you will have lost as a victim To it's nasty theft Inhalers, pills, Nebulizer machines, You'll do anything to breath You'll go to any means Some, like me Find solace Only in their sleep, Others, I suppose, Only when they weep But it's the hand God dealt me And I accept it For what it is And long ago came to grips With what I face in life And hospital visits As familiar as would be a wife No one lives forever, Save Jesus and Dracula, And I have the advantage One really quite spectacular For I have a gauge A hint of things to come Makes every joy I taste More savory than for some.