20160405 (recovery)

Writing about what you know

Can seem horribly egocentric

Unless you compare it to writing

About what you don’t know

Which is positively ignorant.

So as I emerge from the semi-death

Of the flu (that “thing” that’s going

Around) bear with me as much of 

This will be about my suffering

Rather than suffering in general.

Precisely why any of you should  

Hope to benefit from learning of 

This recent travail? I won’t tell 

You how to prevent it. I got the

Flu shot—this time from a drug

Store rather than my physician.

Was that it—a bad commercial 

Sample vs. my doc’s more genuine

Medicalized version? Up until 

This year I’ve either not gotten

The flu or suffered so mildly I

Didn’t think to link it to flu.

This time was considerably 

Different. I found it more like

A roller coaster except instead

Of going up, one starts off 

Going down, not immediately

Plunging rather more sniffles,

Some dizziness, some headache

Which worsens as the car

Accelerates. The last thing I

Did was to attend my Wednesday

Morning bible study, quieter but

Not without spirit or humor.

Between fits of coughing I managed

To read the passage aloud and

Later comment. We took on the 

“Doubting Thomas” story and

Dove for its deeper meaning.

When I mentioned how welcoming

Jesus is to invite the doubters to

Place their hands in his side I

Added the proviso, “But no 

Tickling—I’m still kind of

Sore,” which was met with

Laughter from most and suspicion

Of blasphemy from others who

Shook their heads and said,

“Well, that’s Jim,” and breathed

A prayer for my salvation. By that

Time the flu coaster was in high

Gear and every bone in my body

Ached (how bones which 

Supposedly have no nerves

Can ache I’ll have to google).

From there into the pit of nausea,

Low energy, writhing (I’m 

Trying more for description

Than to elicit sympathy). 

My pet sitter was available 

Who kindly walked Loki

Yesterday and today. He offered

To get me something from the

Market--he is such a genuine 

Peach--would the world were full

Of Tonys we’d all be better off.

I am to the stage where I can

Sit at my desk without fear my

Head will fall off and I thought 

To get back in touch. I’m still

Hurting from the spasms when

My diaphragm gets into those

Wrenching coughs. As I shared

With Peggy last night I sense

Recovery and will probably

Attend our CIFF film Sunday.

The only other notable fact about

The semi-death of flu mortality

Is that life goes on. Reading the

Internet confirms that: “Well,

Lazarus, while you were gone,

You really didn’t miss much.”

c. J.S.Manista, 2016