By Mona Mehas
Prickly as a cat's tongue
cormorants
opened on damp red sheets
Caught in the guilt web of my star chart
dangerously high
I perished in sucrose imbalance
Brain-fogged fingers hover over the keyboard
slippery every time
I try to hold on
Everything hurts as I manifest my grip
cancel shadow, dismiss drama
devastate chronic criptime crisis
Medicine doesn't always work
focus my breath in Aloha
conjure new pathogens
inspired by The Chronic: Medicine and The Body in Writing, a presentation from the
Association of Writers' Writing Programs, Seattle, 2023
Presenters:
Soma Mei Sheng Frazier
Rajiv Mohabir
A H Reaume
Heidi Andrea Restrepo Rhodes
Anjoli Roy
About the Writer:
Mona Mehas (she/her) writes about growing up poor, accumulating grief, and climate change. A retired, disabled teacher in Indiana, USA, Mona previously used the pseudonym Patience Young. Her work is published in journals, anthologies, and museums. Mona is a Trekkie and enjoys watching Star Trek shows and movies in chronological order.
Twitter: @Patienc77732097
LinkTree: monaiv