medication makes me sleepy
I have been congested for three weeks
Mucinex, Vicks and Benadryl have put me down for many naps.
Some days I have taken up to three of them.
This morning, I agreed to go to the bank at ten.
I woke up at 7:13 and decided to nap at 8:08.
At 9:47 my husband yelled “I AM GOING TO THE BANK!’
in one of those anger-aggressive ways.
He woke the dog and me both up.
I got dressed in three minutes.
I do not have to look prissy or even good to go to a bank.
At the bank the lady asked if I had my cell phone.
I told her there was not time.
My husband hustled me out of the house so fast.
Weird that she asked me about a phone anyway.
No one at the bank has ever asked me if I had my cell phone.
They were lucky I grabbed my identification at the last second.
My husband will probably tell me why when he gets to the car.
I am sitting here, writing up my tale of woe.
I heard a small sneeze from my closet
knew it was the gremlin who hides in there
he is usually more cautious, silent but deadly
another sneeze; he must be sick
I got out my Vicks and my Therma flu
grabbed him by the ears and dragged him out
he was horrified, thinking he had been a secret
think again buddy, I was a mother once
he was kicking, biting and scratching me
I barely felt it, due to his small size and tiny teeth
cut it out, I told him I am trying to save your life
he does not speak English, a whisper said
I looked up and saw yellow eyes
It was a vampire bat
Just another monster living in my closet
I did not even know about this one
I pushed the gremlin and Vicks back in and slammed the door
what about that Therma Flu asked the bat?
Crap. An intelligent vampire bat.
There really are monsters in my closet!
Sickness can turn your house into a personal jail
When friends come to visit you use anything as a veil
The moments you lose track of the day and time
If you need medicine you would spend every dime
To pass the time you watch old episodes on Netflix
Eating soup for dinner and inhaling vapors of vicks
It feels like a vacation you weren't meant to enjoy
Your phone, tablet or book becomes your new toy
Every task that you had planned never gets done
Your skin tone begins to change from having no sun
If you're married your mate becomes your waiter
Every sentence is "Honey can you do me a favor"
When you're sick it actually gives you time to unload
But this is your life in a nutshell when you catch a cold
hello kitty pajamas
fuzzy pink footies
hot tea with honey
Vicks vapor rub
wheezing breath
walking pneumonia
I need my mommy to tuck me in
My cough was empty, my lungs struggling
There was no mucus, I was worn out from the hacking
My mother put Vicks vapor rub all over me
The soles of my feet, my back, my neck, my chest
It was two a.m. we were desperate for sleep.
She fixed me vanilla chamomile tea
Stirred in honey
Drink this, she told me. You will be much better
Nothing helped my sore throat before this tea.
After this tea, I was a little better
My cough subsided enough so I could sleep
This was 1962, and I have never forgotten it.
chest cold in april
weird time to get it
fishing out my vicks
A cough and a sneeze
another tissue please
Nose runny throat sore
fatigue and feeling wore
Slight fever lost appetite
wanting it to end to feel right.
Vicks rub on the chest
a little under and in the nose
Wool socks upon the feet
gotta warm those toes
Plop plop fizz fizz
tickles down the hatch
Couch drops and a cozy couch
for those daytime naps.
Steam the room with a vapo machine
and unclog sinuses breathe right
Extra blankets and big fluffy pillow
with NyQuil to sleep all night
Eat hot chicken soup from a can
drink 7 UP in orange juice
Speak with a funny cold's voice
mask up if you are out on the loose.
The older you are the longer they stay
stubborn head colds won't go way
Suck on lozenges for that throat
resist chewing them just don't
And one day you will wake anew
that old head cold is through with you.
sniffles set the course
next is Vicks NyQuil and sleep
who likes being sick
Vicks Vapor Rub is my most favorite scent.
If it was tasty, I would eat it,
so it could seep out of my pores as I slept.
I love the menthol of it;
I love the comfort of it.
I love it up one side and down the other.
Vicks Vapor Rub reminds me of my childhood
My mom would rub this on our chests,
Our backs, our necks, nightly in the winter time.
Our furnace was always turned way down,
to save money, so Vicks Vapor Rub warmed us up.
It reminds me of oatmeal, and cigarette smoke
and other smells of my mother.
I never saw myself clearly
But smelled my own disappointment
For I reeked with it; an acid smell.
I tasted Vicks in my mouth
When there was none in the house
And had not been for years
An unfamiliar voice told me I was a loser
It came from within; I recognized it not at all
But totally too
I was a sight, groveling and growling silently
I doubt anyone knew; for I kept this wisely silent
Away from the eyes of the others
And you are all the others
I can trust no one.
Smelling disinterest and disregard on you
As you pass me by not seeing me or my little dog Two
I have never recognized my sorrow
Or put a name on it
Preferring to keep it way down deep
Where I put a lid on it
You might see me as a party animal with flair
Self-confident, and outgoing
I scoff at the irony of that
As I take out my little friend
And watch the red bubbles pop out of my arm
As I make little cuts
To prove that I am alive
And can feel something.
It sits on the pantry shelf where it's always been
The old blue bread box made of tin
with faded white letters B R E A D stencil on
for some reason of it I am fond
It no longer stores loafs or buns
It now holds things forgotten
A dish towel whose pattern was pretty and fun
A rubber glove in case we found the other one
Some rubber bands and bread ties too
and don't forget that bottle of old wood glue
The timer that doesn't time
a baby spoon I think was mine
A candlestick and yellow lighter
A recipe for holiday apple cider
Old refrigerator magnets that don't stick
An half empty jar of Vicks
That old squirt gun that always leaked
A Tootsie Roll we forever keep
Why we keep the bread box I don't know
But I am glad it's there if just to show
some things other think are useless and old
are the treasured memories of us they hold
Memories smiled from the back of my throat
Making me laugh during the funeral
Heads swiveled. Looks were given.
I was not in the front; much to my sister’s annoyance.
She glares. I wiggle a finger.
Could not help it.
Singing along with Mitch on Sunday nights.
Making donuts, Daddy is frying.
Mommy is in best mood of the week, Sunday.
Church long forgotten.
Skating in the basement, finding baby foxes.
Wearing painful pink curlers.
Slathered with Vicks.
I am smelling pumpkin pies now.
Life is coming back in waves; things long gone.
Memories caused me to burst out laughing.
Mean looks now.
I smile at them.
They do not understand; death is the beginning.
Heaven is the prize, right?
I love smells
Vicks and lemon comforts me
Cinnamon roll and pine cone
Remind me of Christmas
Smells seduce me, entice me, delight me.
I use my sniffer to figure out the world.
Old Spice. Hello Daddy.
Sweet Honesty. My days of being young and cute.
Fresh paint. A new beginning.
Varnish. The one dresser I refinished.
Gasoline. Vanilla. Caramel. All with their own memories.
Parading around in my head, reminding me of days I thought I had lost.
Cuddling in soft blankets
feeling cherished
adding Vicks
which brings me extra comfort
and childhood memories
I pick up my warm mug
filled with hot chocolate
overshadowed by the large
melted marshmallow
floating all over the top
Life is grand!
Prance across my stomach, with your lightest touch.
Take a big juicy bite out of my boobs, wood tick man.
Sure. Swirl my blood around in your little mean mouth.
Take your time. Enjoy yourself, at my expense. For a second.
Here is the deal. I have sensitive skin, and I will feel you rather quickly.
So I will slather you in Vicks or Vaseline. You will have to pull out to breathe.
And POW! That is when I will smear your bloody corpse into my Kleenex and
Flush you away, delighting me greatly.
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