Breath & Shadow
2004 - Vol. 1, Issue 5
Three Poems
written by
Edward McInnis
"Today, I Feel Less Worse"
Today, I feel less worse:
the pain that suddenly appeared
so like an enemy's curse
or an army's attack of spears
retreated from excruciating hurt
to merely very severe.
"Nocturne"
Though 12,000 tomorrows
have been worse,
maybe tomorrow will be better.
"Just a Note"
(with apologies to Dorothy Parker and Robert Frost)
Whiskey is risky
A plastic bag may sag
A noose can get loose
And to electrocute may not suit
A gun is no fun
And pills may only make ill
Somewhere ages and ages hence
I shall be telling this with a sigh:
That I went on living because
It was too much trouble to die
Edward McInnis says, "I developed head-to-toe fibromyalgia in 1990 and went from a full-time job to part-time work to unemployment compensation to welfare assistance to SSDI. I have a list of over 100 different failed, often ludicrous, treatments I've tried. The best therapy is reading this list and laughing myself silly. Oh, that endorphin-engendering humor." Ed requests that readers contact him at 238 Green St., Weymouth, MA 02191-2046 or (781) 335-3022. "Feedback and conversation is often much more satisfying and valuable than any amount of money."