Hoarse
By Tatiana Pahlen

My voice is getting worse –
borrowed from Tallulah,
it's wheezing like a horse.
Damn the runny nose!
I strive to breathe and swallow
yet cough with raging force,
stifling the airflow,
despite the pills' large dose.

Still livid at the cause –
was it a flu shot earlier,
or germs from a sloppy nurse?
I strike a whining pose;
my vision is getting blurry.
Where's Dr. Melrose?
With tablets he endorsed,
I failed to sleep or doze;
My head is dazed and airy,
My voice is direly hoarse.

January 18, 2003