Get out of me
By Marge Piercy
A dragon has moved into my chest.
Its breath of fire makes my fever rise.
It snorts. Now coughing ravages me.
Its long scaly tail lashing me
destroys any hope of sleep.
I am a barking nuisance to others.
Fly away, fire breather. Go climb
into someone else’s body to wreck
their days and burn away their nights.
You’ve chomped on me for six days.
I want to breathe quiet as a falling
leaf. I want to sleep soundly as a cat
In a patch of warm sun. Let my battered
lungs draw air in and breathe out
gently as a butterfly’s wings.
Copyright © 2020 by Marge Piercy.