Criptime Cento

By Mona Mehas

Prickly as a cat's tongue

cormorants

opened on damp red sheets

Caught in the guilt web of my star chart

dangerously high

I perished in sucrose imbalance

Brain-fogged fingers hover over the keyboard

slippery every time

I try to hold on

Everything hurts as I manifest my grip

cancel shadow, dismiss drama

devastate chronic criptime crisis

Medicine doesn't always work

focus my breath in Aloha

conjure new pathogens

inspired by The Chronic: Medicine and The Body in Writing, a presentation from the

Association of Writers' Writing Programs, Seattle, 2023

Presenters:

Soma Mei Sheng Frazier

Rajiv Mohabir

A H Reaume

Heidi Andrea Restrepo Rhodes

Anjoli Roy

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Criptime Cento features in Erato's third issue, Hunger - available in print and online.

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About the Writer:

Mona Mehas (she/her) writes about growing up poor, accumulating grief, and climate change. A retired, disabled teacher in Indiana, USA, Mona previously used the pseudonym Patience Young. Her work is published in journals, anthologies, and museums. Mona is a Trekkie and enjoys watching Star Trek shows and movies in chronological order.

Twitter: @Patienc77732097

LinkTree: monaiv