Morning

by Mary MacGowan
The Waters
Honorable Mention, November 2019
Judged by Laurie Byro


The annoying physical traits
have not yet arrived.
The narrow dripping of the nose.
The cough. The itchy ankle, so quiet.

Birds gather at the safflower feeder
but hummingbirds still refuse
to drink after mold showed up.

Somehow I swam through the night
and ended up here
on the heart attack bench.

And the legs. How still the legs.
The swallowing
to see if the throat still hurts.