No, I haven’t a cold
and I haven’t been lying
though I'm showing the symptoms —
this overgrown nose obvious,
and I’m getting sore about it
for more than the tenderness
to the touch, but for what it does
to my appearance.

A little pimple on the inside was all,
I thought the problem at first,
yet maybe it’s not so small,
it’s getting harder to breathe
and in the mirror to me
my nose seems suddenly
rather bulbous and clown-like.

No powder can help tone
down the redness it has gained
while the shine on it now shows
even more,
and the mystery just
grows larger.

10/11/2006