Sometimes, stomach aches are more than illness.
It happens, ever so often, that sour, clenched guts
Prove losses so deep and terrible that flu’s better.
Maybe, honor’s overrated. Keeping my side clean
Could, at best, be proof of naiveté, of wistfulness
Wasted on widdershin spinning, on sepia dreaming.
Decades might never truly mean deep connection.
Generations could get shared across continents.
Kisses might convey affected feelings or germs.
So, next time there’s gurgling in my belly,
I’ll reflect how you treat strangers better than
Your son, your daughter, your faithful dog.
