SO I CAN SIGH ETERNALLY by Paul Edward Costa

In a world

where modern medicine has realised

how mixing medications

can make new symptoms

or cancel out benefits of taking them,

I wish

gods of pestilence

gave similar consideration

in sending only one pain,

infection, or inflammation at a time

instead of dropping

multiple effects and ailments at once

in games of Tetris 

building agony to combined levels

formerly used for testing piety

with nausea needing rest it can’t get

        where suffering brings insomnia,

with hunger pains I can’t satiate

        for the malaise in even thinking

        of nutrients a body craves

even after two days of my digestive system’s editor

rejecting all sustenance

submitted for consideration.

Paul Edward Costa is an award-winning Canadian poet, spoken word artist, and teacher. He is a former Poet Laureate for the City of Mississauga, Ontario and has published many poems in journals such as DarkWinter Literary Magazine, Drunk Monkeys Arts Journal, and Blank Spaces Magazine. His book of poetry, The Long Train of Chaos was published by Kung Fu Treachery Press. His book of prose poetry and flash fiction, God Damned Avalon, was published by Mosaic Press. As a spoken word artist, Paul has featured at many poetry series online and in-person across Canada and the U.S. such as the Shab-e She'r series in Toronto and Port Veritas Poetry in Portland, Maine.