get well package came today
giant box of Puffs tissues
plus lotion — I can now blow
my nose for days…
1lb of strawberries —
she knows it makes the muesli
taste great…
bottle of pedialyte so I don’t dry out
like some kind of desiccated fool…
mucinex, the good stuff, to clear my head
and to help me get back
to writing this shit for all of you…
kitty is in the lap
giving comfort to this tired, worn-out man,
cough drops help my scratchy throat —
we’ll see if my voice returns,
yeah, maybe sometime soon…
the fever’s down, and I slept good last night —
the nocturnal hallucinations
have been kept at bay,
watched Enemy of the State with Gene Hackman
and it’s got me all thinking about privacy
and the NSA — gotta get my hands on a copy
of The Conversation — I hear he’s good
in that one too…
let’s hope the rain dampens down this bullshit
heat, because it’s hard to be on the mend
when you’re sweating bullets all the time…
now I would never wish for you to be sick too,
but I’d kill to spend the night and chill with you,
watch a movie and cuddle up
with some snacks and some laughs
and fall asleep together soon
Garbage Notes:
I wrote this one last year when I was really under the weather. I was feeling so shitty. And you know how it is when you’re sick, you don’t have the attention span or the ability to concentrate or do anything that requires even a modicum of thought.
Anyway, here I am again, dead winter, and rocking a pretty nasty cold. And the only thing I could think to dredge up for today’s post was the last poem I had written when I was sick back then.
I had received a get well package, with all kinds of beautiful things to make me better. And my spirits were raised instantly.
So yeah, it’s hard being a writer and not having a clear head. You make mistakes easily and your voice gets fucked up. And you’re weak. You literally feel useless until the sickness passes.
When I’m sick I don’t even have the energy to read. So I usually end up sitting around watching movies. When I wrote this poem I was on a Gene Hackman kick, watching Enemy of the State and The Conversation.
Now, to get me through this time I’ve been re-watching a bunch of Star Wars movies. Return of the Jedi last night. And The Phantom Menace today.
I don’t know how Michael Jordan played that NBA finals game with the flu, because I could barely put together this substack post with this fucking head cold that I got going on. Speaking of basketball. The one thing cheering me up is that the Knicks are on fucking fire right now! It has been a great month for New York basketball.
Anyway, I’m taking suggestions on what movies I should watch or rewatch next. So if you got something you’ve seen recently. Or something classic that you like to watch that’s comforting or entertaining when you’re sick, I’d love to hear about it. What movies should I watch this weekend while I get better? Leave it in the comments!
Franco Amati 2024
If you enjoyed this piece, a paid subscription would be the best way to show your support. But if you aren’t ready for that sort of commitment yet, you can always send me a one-time donation on my Ko-fi page.
Being sick sucks cough drops. At least you could write about it. I love the ending.
first!!