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Phil's Previous Poetry

August, 2004




8/24/04-The lad's blond and beautiful the pride of granny's heart for her chromosomes by his birth being thus successfully passed on yet his serotonin transmitter gene is short and so triggered by even moderate childhood trauma over the rest of his life he's at major risk for severe clinical depression rational behavioral therapy and serotonin protecting medications could dramatically reduce his suffering and neurological deterioration yet it will be almost sixty years before this would be known by then a lifetime of extreme even suicidal sadness will have left its scars his hippocampus will have shrunk to a tiny seahorse and for better or worse his armor of adjustments to the pain of existence will have become simply a part of him integral to his identity and what now of those born today how many millions or billions face scores of orbits about the sun in angst and debilitation that might in a future age be readily remedied and from which subsequent looking back our time's treatments might seem as primitive as we regard medicine and dentistry before disinfectants or anesthetics...




8/10/04-Rising late medications having overcome the effects of caffeine my left jaw sharply aching the joint displaced by swelling urine suds in the toilet bowl portrait of the artist as an old man youthful eyes look out from a stubbly ancient face the mirror filthy puff wants to go with me no stay driving the sweepers make wide band lines of cleanly brushed and dirty asphalt at the grocery a thermos for coffee free to seniors is already empty but theresa smiles gets me a cupful from behind the deli my two dollar cap made in taiwan has colorful fine embroidery on a black background red letters and white highlighted with gold could those who made it buy it even second hand a florida pen pal's daughter a brilliant marine biologist got scholarships through college she says because she's in the minority if I know what she means I don't I'm a wasp by heritage and so but a small part player on the globe's vast stage she says all her siblings have died of kidney disease and her time is borrowed the tires were worn down to the reinforcing metal strands our mechanic says and by rights should have blown while we were roaring down I-35 from wisconsin going seventy or eighty today a truck cuts me off missing by inches our time is all on loan but I don't mention it to joyce in the sunshine state surrounded by beaches oranges parks aquariums museums everglades disneyworld space launch pads zoos spring fed and alligator filled rivers her kid twenty-eight isn't married but has a boyfriend of three years and I think joyce wonders if she'll enjoy a grandchild or two before she goes...

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