Foreign Bodies
My night cut into by waking dreams,
knotted sheets and the unbearable
countdown to morning.
Sleep crusting the back of my throat,
not strep, but something definitely
coming down upon me.
I know that chicken-scratch
rawness, tongue thick in my mouth.
Unsavory foreign bodies cracking defenses,
setting off klaxons in the bloodstream
loosening mucus membranes
warming the tissue.
What we need now is a good fever;
scorch the invaders, make way for relief.
In battle sometimes
the more you burn, the more rubble you have
when it’s time to rebuild.