Unwelcome Visitation

Each breath feels labored, like swimming through muck,

a fog of confusion, a stroke of bad luck.

My head’s in a vise, fingers trembling and numb,

as tissues stack high, a makeshift monument to the dumb.

The world rushes on, while I wallow in dread,

wrapped in a blanket, this feverish bed.

Time stretches like silence, an unwelcome friend,

a visit uninvited, with no promise to mend.