Sun is out after days of clouds
that left their grief as a parting gift.
I step outside, & pollen marshals troops.
It scratches my throat. I cough &
think, Is this it? Have I died &
not yet figured it out? God,
why does my brain corrupt
a peaceful moment in the light?
Even here in my comfortable prison,
the virus that can’t reach me does
until I panic at a bead of sweat,
a little ache, a misspent breath.
It’s a beautiful morning
to write my own obituary.
Somewhere else, it’s raining—
each drop a survivor of the storm.
Ace Boggess is author of seven books of poetry, most recently My Pandemic / Gratitude List (Mōtus Audāx Press, 2025) and Escape Envy (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2021). His writing has appeared in Indiana Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hanging Loose, and other journals. An ex-con, he lives in Charleston, West Virginia, where he writes, watches Criterion films, and tries to stay out of trouble. His forthcoming books include the poetry collection, Tell Us How to Live, from Fernwood Press and his first short-story collection, Always One Mistake, from Running Wild Press.
To purchase My Pandemic / Gratitude List Poems. Please use the link below.
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