That Virus - Kathy Figueroa

Once I lay on
A hospital bed
Coughing and hacking
And feeling half dead

I'd gone to the ward
Called "Emergency"
But had to wait and wait
Though ill as could be

My body was wracked
With thunderous sneezes
Gasps, gurgles, and
Scary wheezes

I was choking, gasping
…Struggling for air
And wondered, if I died
If they’d notice or care

In the distance, a machine
Kept going "beep, beep"
The ceiling fan hummed
I couldn’t fall asleep

The doctor finally saw me
But just said "Come back if it gets worse"
I figured that, by then,
I’d be travelling by hearse

Somehow, in spite of them
I managed to survive
And it feels darn good
To still be alive

That bronchial virus
Was an awful thing
And a cruddy way
To welcome Spring

Kathy Figueroa

That Virus was first published in The Bancroft Times newspaper on August 20, 2015.