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.

Photo: Prawny/Pixabay

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.

#creativewriting #poetry #poem #bacteria #fever