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.
Copyright © Tom Bell | Year Posted 2008
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