"Cold Reality"

I am completely entertained by this for many reasons - my career in the pharmaceutical industry is one.  - poetheart 08/10/01

Awakened by my stuffy nose
And aching head and sinus blocked,
I stumble bleary-eyes to the john
to seek relief from a little box
of capsules blister-sealed.

They do not yield to instructions to peel
and defy the rip of my mighty grip.
I curse and plead and pray,
God help me find a way to release
the sacred capsules safety-sealed,
preserved for all eternity
or capable of interplanetary travel.
I know I must cut this Gordian knot
and desperately explore the vanity's drawer.
As a last resort I use scissors to extort
these critters from their plastic cocoon.

Victory savored with sacramental swallow,
I discard the defeated packaging.
In exultant triumph I blow my nose.
A fanfare for the common cold.

02/22/92
by Karl Seidman

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