All wives know this for fact:

There is no one sicker
than a sick husband.

I totally agree: and as you know,
I am no wife.

I tried to make a list of concerns,
but I am too sick to write:
my head aches
my eyes are burning
I am sure I have a temperature
—okay, it didn’t show
the last few times I took it
but I feel much worse now
—and did I tell you
my throat is sore?

My wife never gets this sick:
when she got a mild case
of sniffles last week I told her
to stay in bed,
but she had her friends
coming for bridge and lunch
the next day and had to clean.
I am pleased to say
I gave up watching the game
while I vacuumed the living room
and dried a load
and did dishes—she says
licking several bowls is not doing dishes;
but I was at the sink
and I did stuff
to help out.

But she never gets as sick
as this:
whereas she had a mild
case of sniffles,
I have a full blown cold
or maybe pneumonia.
It’s not fair:
I have this pain in my chest
—and did I tell you about the fever?
My eyes are so sore
I can watch TV for only a few hours
at a time
and I can hardly
hold up the newspaper
but I have to stay informed.

One advantage of Facebook and
email is that I can keep my friends
in the loop about my condition.

Anyway, that’s why I called, Ann:
I thought: talk to my lawyer.
I believe my will is in order but
perhaps after
my doctor’s appointment
this afternoon
I could drop by your office
and check it out?
With pneumonia,
you never know.