Vox Populi
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Connie Post: Auto Immune
One part of the body
turns against the other
reacts as if an enemy
has invaded
the war against
friendly fire
goes on for years
possibly decades
one doctor
after another
gives pills in doses
unrecognizable to
your broken mouth
late at night you read
one medical article
after another
trying to understand
why the armed forces
attacked a sovereign
place in the body
you toss and turn
the siege goes on
you sleep
you love
you banish yourself
from your own bed
you watch yourself
line up words
inside your mind
a small army
encroaching
from afar
(c) Connie Post. From Between Twilight (NYQ, 2023).
Connie Post served as the first Poet Laureate of Livermore, California. Her full-length collections from Glass Lyre Press are Floodwater and Prime Meridian.
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“one doctor
after another
gives pills in doses
unrecognizable to
your broken mouth”
Though drugs can be life-saving, I do wish people could be turned towards changing their diets to see if that helps–before being given drugs with a long list of side effects.
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So good to read this powerful metaphor from Connie. A wonderful poet!
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so much—the kids’ celiac, my thyroid, the Middle East
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Yes, life can be overwhelming at times.
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i have had psoriasis for years. i have good success using food [and not using certain foods] as medicine. [most medical schools teach minimal, if that, nutrition.]
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Yes, Eva and I are active users of herbs and food to fight illness. We were just discussing a recipe for an herbal anti-biotic.
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