Ill Or Not
Lawrence S. Pertillar 1947 (Connecticut)
Ill or not,
What one has to do to get it done...
Ill or not,
Few will come to offer their assistance.
Ill or not.
To hear a knock on one's door.
Or a doorbell heard to hear it ring.
Ill or not,
Bills have to be paid.
Where one lives has to be cleaned.
Food has to be bought and prepared.
Cooked and ready to eat.
Ill or not..
Ill or not,
Whoever is the head of the household.
Sick and in bed.
Coughing, sneezing,
And finding it difficult to breathe.
A telephone will ring,
From a creditor claiming to make,
A courtesy call.
And...
As the head of the house,
Is seen crawling across the floor weezing...
Barely able to breathe.
Someone sitting near the telephone will ask,
The breadwinner...
'Are you okay?'
'Do I look okay?'
'It's hard to say.
Since either you are trying to impress us,
By doing your yoga exercises.
Or...
You're trying to ask one of us to answer,
The phone!
All you had to do is say something.'
'I got it!
Hello?
Yes.
Yes, I am the head of the house.
I know I am late paying that bill.
I have been a little under the weather.
I'll survive.
Thank you. I appreciate your concern.
You too.
I certainly will.
Bye-bye.'
'You need any help getting to the kitchen?
Thank God it's Saturday.
We've been waiting for breakfast for hours.'
'What about me?
Ill or not,
I realize now...
I'm the reason all of you are spoiled.
Unappreciative and thankless.'
'Sure blame us.
Everytime we offer our assistance,
You always say...
"I rather do it myself to get it done right!"
How are we to know,
If or when you need assistance.
You should go back to bed.
Then get up on the right side of it.'
'Disrespectful, ungrateful...'
'Don't forget lazy!
Says the teacher to the learning students!'
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Written on December 01, 2023
Submitted by lpahtillah on December 01, 2023
- 2:02 min read
- 5 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AbAcAde AxxxxA Axfegexx xhegxij j jkxdixe lmxhnixxxnx box oAxxk kcjxmcfl ox |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,705 |
Words | 399 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 6, 8, 7, 1, 7, 11, 3, 5, 8, 2 |
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"Ill Or Not" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 10 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/174764/ill-or-not>.
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