“………………………….No one knows how
long their toehold can hold out.”
John Ashbery

Morbus has a hold of my toe
and the rest of me too.
Last Sunday I attended a lecture 
on “The Shore Birds of Tampa Bay”
in a crowded exhibit room at Lettuce Lake.
No one masks anymore.
I joke that I’ve caught the avian flu,
but it’s just some common flu that could
easily kill a man of My Age.
By Tuesday morning I have to pay
my Uber driver an extra $200 to get
me in & out of the doctor’s office, and I
know my plans to fly to Penelope’s wedding
have flown out the window.
Heartbreak & Sorrow have flown in.
When I call, Penelope tells me to get a hold
of myself, she says I can make a video
appearance at her reception tomorrow.
Thank God Dr. Hue has come home to help.

                                            from my prescribed bed
                        I hear the tones of two doves
                                                           as they fly away