Jeannine Hall Gailey - Two Poems

When You Said “Do You Meditate” I Heard “Medicate”

and proceeded to overshare, pharmaceutical this and that,

monoclonal antibodies and the chances of receiving them.

I have not meditated in months, though during the shutdown,

I did it every morning – and I painted, colored in adult

coloring books, collected stones on long walks.

I read the Bible again, listened to old favorite songs,

anything to achieve that magic calm.

I confess now that I am terrible at meditation,

fail at yoga, even my breathing too shallow –

as Berryman said, I confess I have no inner resources.

But I can talk you under the table

about the benefits of one med versus another.

Just remember that my entryway to Nirvana

might differ from yours. “Take care,” we end

every e-mail, really meaning it now.

Meditate and medicate all you want,

your body’s still held prisoner in that in-between of earth and sky,

dragging its feet in the dirt as we try to reach towards heaven.

Creating a Monster: Evolution

Throw in a childhood exposure to radiation,

in the rain, in the milk, in the corn.

A few accidents of nature, that is, even before

you were born, these were written.

The moon was in the wrong part of the sky.

The sky parted, and there was a plague of locusts.

The stars were unaligned, born under a false sign.

Environmental toxins in the lawn under your feet,

microplastics in your water. Exposure to too much unicorn,

dragonfly, superhero costumes. Breathing too much

recycled air. The dust was full of silicates.

So when you start to notice changes, stay aware:

write things down. The doctors will not be able

to interpret a thing like you. You must write your own

guide to survival, chances of winning, zero percent.

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Jeannine Hall Gailey is a poet with MS who served as Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington. She's the author of six books of poetry, including Field Guide to the End of the World, winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and the SFPA's Elgin Award, and her latest, Flare, Corona from BOA Editions. Her work appeared in journals like The American Poetry Review, JAMA, Ploughshares, and Poetry. Her website is www.webbish6.com. Twitter and Instagram: @webbish6.