« Light Verse Section (unrelated to religion...or anything! :-) | Main

A Sonnet on the Names of Diseases

 A Sonnet on the Names of Diseases

I love the melodious names of disease,

Their cadences flow with the greatest of ease.

The ailments are horrid, but behind the black cloud

Lurks a lining of silver: their names said out loud!

 

Whether deep vein thrombosis, or compound necrosis;

Or fibromyalgiac lymphocytosis,

I would sing from Olympus like harp-strumming Homer:

“Myocardial infarction! O, Mesothelioma!”

 

My heart breaks to think of those suffering in pain,

With no palliative save such a cool-sounding name,

So I hope when my time to depart has come nigh

It won’t be from gout or a blow to the eye,

 

Let the last words my doctor proclaims that I hear

Be, “Acute Tyrotoxism* finished you, dear!”

 

                                                                     *Poisoning by cheese

 

                                                -- Linda Brown Holt

 

 

Posted on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 03:25PM by Registered CommenterLinda Brown Holt | CommentsPost a Comment | References2 References

References (2)

References allow you to track sources for this article, as well as articles that were written in response to this article.
  • Response
    Response: Bubble Pendant Chandelier
    by Walters at Bubble Pendant Chandelier on September 29, 2016
  • Response
    Response: 17 Foods To Lower Uric Acid And Prevent Gout
    by HEALTHY and FITNESS at HEALTHY and FITNESS on October 3, 2020
    People with gout need to be careful in choosing their food. The reason is clear; there are some foods that actually make uric acid worse. Don't get depressed, there are still many other delicious foods that can be consumed by people with gout. In fact, there are also some foods that ...

Reader Comments

There are no comments for this journal entry. To create a new comment, use the form below.

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
All HTML will be escaped. Hyperlinks will be created for URLs automatically.