Every time I sneeze
Within and beyond
My morning allergies,
I feel like I am losing
A little piece of me.

Every time I cough
And irritate my palate
Irascibly rough,
I wonder when it’s going
To be enough.

Every time my sinuses
Swell up and clog
My passages,
Only time can soothe
The intractable ravages.

For pain is pain
And itch is itch –
Sharp or dull or faint – as such,
When all weapons fail,
The touch
Of familiarity
Becomes the de facto
Crutch.

– Akanksha Gupta