so dense it doesn’t float

I’ve been reduced to not being able to stand up in the shower

poetic, considering how much

the wood has given to ocean travel

Even reading a book is challenging and exhausting

an escaped ornamental

pruned to maintain a narrower profile

I don’t understand what’s happening in my body

the leaf is made of more

than one leaf-like part

Every day you wake up and you might have a different symptom

from a distance

like clouds of purple

I’ve had messages saying this is all in your head

as the non-native is not invasive

at the northernmost range

I understand there are so many unknowns

not so easily warped by humidity

or temperature changes

As a patient, I need acknowledgment

as a generalization, then,

it suffers from a reputation as slow

It has gotten better, but I track that trajectory in weeks, not days

similar to pomegranate seeds

either one is a worthwhile endeavor

Being a survivor is something you must also survive