Cough Or A Sneeze Poem by Paddy Glackin

Your dangerously dark eyed hair. Black Lady.
Blue Blue eyes searching, shifting, asking.
Your lopsided mouth, an ancient family trait.
Crabbit as a fireside cat, spitting.

I made a noise for you to decipher cough or sneeze?
Driving you mad by saying it was opposite to your guess.
Then every time we argued and raise your volcanic temper
You would retort; cough or sneeze, disarming me.

It's in your lymph nodes now another historical trait.
As you struggle to catch your breath to fight.
I lift earthly stones for you to squeeze in the mistaken belief the energy could pass to you.

And then you left, slipping out the side door.
Inevitably by then we had drifted apart.
You were aligned to your married side.
With secrets to keep.
Cough or Sneeze.
Pg 8/9/23