The cough has been a heavy stone

The cough has been a heavy stone

sitting on my collarbone for weeks.

The waiting room smelled like old magazines

and the frantic hope of the uninsured.

The nurse didn't even look at me.

She just reached out and slid

the metal circle under my thin shirt.

It was a shock of ice against my skin.

Take a deep breath, she said.

I tried to find enough air in the room,

but my lungs felt like dry paper

tearing slowly in the dark.