Jet Lag Discoveries

Adrienne Stevenson

 

 

 

 

going west is easier
than going east, but
only if you do it first 

the body’s adrenaline
has an expiry date
of less than 48 hours 

swollen feet resemble
puffer fish 

angry germs lie in wait
in recycled air—wreak their wrath
on unwary travellers 

it doesn’t matter whether
you're assigned a seat
          in the steerage cabin
you’re a toad
          under a truck's wheels
or you're a penny on the rails
          when a freight train passes
you’re equally squished 

nobody has any sympathy
to spare because they
feel the same themselves 

should have taken the train

 

 

 

Adrienne Stevenson lives in in Ottawa, Ontario. A retired forensic scientist, she writes poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. When not writing, she tends a large garden. Her poetry has been widely published in print and online journals and anthologies, most recently in Summer Rain, MacroMicroCosm, Page & Spine, Poetry and Covid, Jaden, Still Point Arts Quarterly, Lifespan vol.2, Bywords, Masque & Spectacle, Constellate Literary Journal. Twitter @ajs4t