#pneumonia - Hello Poetry

By Cynthia Firtik High up in my turret The briared thorns are no longer a hindrance But a welcome protection No false suitors hang moldering within the crimson blooms Impaled time and again by the vicious thorns In these ghastly frightening days, Time and again the thorns have retreated Allowing the morning doves to perch atop the balcony railing, cooing Or letting me out surreptitiously on my timid forays out for food and medicine I see shadows of death in tentative smiles Anger and fright when the six foot barrier is breached Sideways glances search for a reason to flee. A cough. A sniffle. A sneeze. Each panic inducing symptom the bane of my spring existence. Should I wear a placard? I'm allergic. Not contagious. Or maybe a scarlet letter A would suffice I do my best not to linger over-long Never knowing when a dreaded sniffle will manifest, despite all the pills and sprays. And don't get me started on the wheezing from the pneumonia I had in January. Don't walk too fast or ascend stairs too quickly. A few missteps and I sound like a dying bagpipe. I chant in my mind, "Take it slow and remember to breathe." Safely back in my sanctuary, blessing the day and all it has manifested. Thanking my early years and my adaptation to solitude. Some would call the briared thorns a manifestation of my illness Depression appearing as the blood red blooms And the darker things, the nasty hooky thorns And of the false princes? Parts of me that never breached the core. So I sit here in enforced solitude, my illness wrapped around me Keeping me safe, contrarily enough By the very habit that once inspired its inception: isolation.

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Nov 2, 2025

Nov 2, 2025 at 8:45 PM UTC

Zephyrschild

A note from solitude

By Cynthia Firtik High up in my turret The briared thorns are no longer a hindrance But a welcome protection No false suitors hang moldering within the crimson blooms Impaled time and again by the vicious thorns In these ghastly frightening days, Time and again the thorns have retreated Allowing the morning doves to perch atop the balcony railing, cooing Or letting me out surreptitiously on my timid forays out for food and medicine I see shadows of death in tentative smiles Anger and fright when the six foot barrier is breached Sideways glances search for a reason to flee. A cough. A sniffle. A sneeze. Each panic inducing symptom the bane of my spring existence. Should I wear a placard? I'm allergic. Not contagious. Or maybe a scarlet letter A would suffice I do my best not to linger over-long Never knowing when a dreaded sniffle will manifest, despite all the pills and sprays. And don't get me started on the wheezing from the pneumonia I had in January. Don't walk too fast or ascend stairs too quickly. A few missteps and I sound like a dying bagpipe. I chant in my mind, "Take it slow and remember to breathe." Safely back in my sanctuary, blessing the day and all it has manifested. Thanking my early years and my adaptation to solitude. Some would call the briared thorns a manifestation of my illness Depression appearing as the blood red blooms And the darker things, the nasty hooky thorns And of the false princes? Parts of me that never breached the core. So I sit here in enforced solitude, my illness wrapped around me Keeping me safe, contrarily enough By the very habit that once inspired its inception: isolation.

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Because of Pneumonia, he couldn't survive. Val Kilmer has died at the age of sixty-five. He starred as Batman in "Batman Forever" thirty years ago. In 2013, he starred in "Ghost Ghirls" and "Palo Alto". In 2011, he starred in "Blood Out" and "Five Days Of War". He was a very talented actor who we won't see anymore. In 2006, Val starred in "Moscow Zero", "Summer Love" and "Deja Vu". He made an uncredited appearance two years later in "The Love Guru". Millions of people loved Val Kilmer's performance in "Top Gun". I'm being precise when I say he'll be remembered by everyone.

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Apr 6, 2025

Apr 6, 2025 at 9:40 AM UTC

randy-johnson

The Late Val Kilmer

Because of Pneumonia, he couldn't survive. Val Kilmer has died at the age of sixty-five. He starred as Batman in "Batman Forever" thirty years ago. In 2013, he starred in "Ghost Ghirls" and "Palo Alto". In 2011, he starred in "Blood Out" and "Five Days Of War". He was a very talented actor who we won't see anymore. In 2006, Val starred in "Moscow Zero", "Summer Love" and "Deja Vu". He made an uncredited appearance two years later in "The Love Guru". Millions of people loved Val Kilmer's performance in "Top Gun". I'm being precise when I say he'll be remembered by everyone.

10

do you hear the sizzle of my lungs as they slowly burn to ashes? my head is an anchor, weighing down bringing me to the floor i cannot breathe i am aching the doctor said i was fine but the moment i left and breathed in the poisonous fresh air i wheezed i could not breathe my lungs were on fire some people pretend im fine but i see it in their eyes how they’re pretending some people avoid me as to not get sick to save their freezing lungs the fire is spreading throughout my body my face is red my throat is burning im fading out my lungs are on fire i cannot breathe.

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Oct 28, 2024

Oct 28, 2024 at 8:42 PM UTC

EmeryF

On Fire, I Breathe

do you hear the sizzle of my lungs as they slowly burn to ashes? my head is an anchor, weighing down bringing me to the floor i cannot breathe i am aching the doctor said i was fine but the moment i left and breathed in the poisonous fresh air i wheezed i could not breathe my lungs were on fire some people pretend im fine but i see it in their eyes how they’re pretending some people avoid me as to not get sick to save their freezing lungs the fire is spreading throughout my body my face is red my throat is burning im fading out my lungs are on fire i cannot breathe.

24

𝑺𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚, 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝑯𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑨𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆.

0

Jul 11, 2020

Jul 11, 2020 at 11:47 AM UTC

sherryjanemercines

Ikapito

𝑺𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚, 𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝑯𝒂𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝑨𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔 𝑴𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝑰𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑻𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆.

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