20170102 (new part?)

You've seen this knee before: dog attack, bee attack, now this, invalidism

Whitecaps all day on the sound.

Cold. Another grim blog. Went 

To pee several times last night

Could hardly walk. The slight

Pain at the back of my right knee

That had been nagging me for

Months had become so bad

I had to brace myself for any 

Progress. Bit the bullet since

I finally got an appointment 

For Loki’s desperately needed

Grooming. Managed to drive 

Across town, hobbled out 

Pleading he not pull me over. 

They told me the price and

Said I should come back at

Three. I did a little shopping

On the way back home. I

Didn’t remember injuring it.

The right is still my natural

Knee but I noticed I had been

Treating it like I did my left 

Before that was replaced 

Thirteen years ago. "Feces!” 

I thought, remembering I’d 

Promised Nat I’d clean up 

My diction as we left Cleveland.

You don’t put new tires on a car

That needs everything else—

Struts, motor, transmission.

Best I could hope was they’d

Pop my head onto a jock's

Body who’d died of sports 

Related brain trauma. Naw.

They try to save your old body

Even when they know it's

Going to die soon. In my family

We don’t make it to 80. I figure

System upon system will fail

Until one little infection then

Kaput. When I told Andy of

My sudden disability, he told

Me to stay put and he’d be 

Over to check it out. I cancelled

The 5K I was to run that night

And prayed there'd be no 

Needles. He felt my knee,

Said I had some kind of cyst

Blow out, and showed me

How he how could push the

Fluid from side to side. I took 

His Naproxen, let him wrap

The knee, and promised I would

Later apply the cold pack he put

In the freezer. Sunday I stayed

Home from church. The family

Came by with a week's lasagna

And arugula. Played Go Fish 

With the girls while Majida 

And Andy cleaned up my 

Kitchen and recycling despite 

My begging they leave it all

To me. Go already, I'll be fine.

They left me by the fireplace,

My leg elevated on a cardboard 

Box, with the icepack wrapped

Around my knee. “If this is 

What creeping decrepitude

Is like I’ll have to rethink

Gradual departure.”

c. J.S.Manista, 2017