Sonnet composed while waiting for Anaphylaxis

Posted on 2021-05-17 by Bartholomew Barker

Sonnet composed while waiting for Anaphylaxis

I couldn’t be certain
I wasn’t already sick
and just not snuffling
so I wore my mask.

Every day I took my temperature
to see if it had raised
into the triple-digits
but I remained stubbornly cool.

Today a second dose of mRNA
was injected into my arm
so I will no longer fear
the contaminated air.

Tomorrow I want to feel sick in solidarity
with all you who built your antibodies the hard way.

(Besides the obvious real-life inspiration, this was also for to this week’s Living Poetry Prompt to write a poem containing the words “air”, “certain” and “raise”.)

 

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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20 Responses to Sonnet composed while waiting for Anaphylaxis

  1. anitashope's avatar anitashope says:
    2021-05-17 at 21:19

    Hope it is not bad for you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2021-05-17 at 21:29

    Yay! Good poem but don’t you dare get sick!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. harleyxreborn's avatar Harley Reborn says:
    2021-05-17 at 21:32

    Best of luck to you. I just slept a bunch on the second one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Kritika Maheshwari's avatar Kritika says:
    2021-05-18 at 04:21

    Hope you don’t get sick. Rest a lot.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Patty's avatar Patty says:
    2021-05-18 at 10:41

    Congratulations.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Ali Grimshaw's avatar Ali Grimshaw says:
    2021-05-20 at 21:38

    I am grateful to be vaccinated fully. Take care.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Benjamin Grossman's avatar Benjamin Grossman says:
    2021-05-25 at 12:45

    Intriguing. Even more so because I am allergic to almost everything….. Stay safe! Hope it all goes well for you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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