Pain and Poetry

Pain and poetry. In some circles there might be the assumption that these two go together. I disagree. Today I am in pain. It's a dull pain emanating from my sinuses to my upper jaw OR from my back molar to my sinuses. Being Sunday, it is just not the day to find out which. So suffer I must until tomorrow. But this suffering will not produce a winning poem. Guaranteed that it will not. I will spend the day trying to ignore the ache, to medicate it with OTC meds, to feel dumpy and grumpy.

Oh sure, you say, that is pain. You will be quick to remind me that the suffering poet's pain is psychological or relational or situational (read: rejection after rejection). True enough. That happens. There is a LONG list of suicidal poets to account for that. But I say that sometimes what gets in the way of poetry is physical pain. This thing began yesterday and I accounted for it by the whole sinus infection reason. But I have netti-potted my sinuses and still no relief. I did get some relief with Excedrin, but it is still there, annoyingly there.

So pardon me for not writing today, not even work on projects I've already started. I may not get to write tomorrow either since I will have to do the rounds of professional help: start with the dentist to see if there is something wrong with the molar (root canal? OUCH!) and if not that, then to the doctor to see what is going on with the sinuses (antibiotics? some stronger pain meds?). Tomorrow may be a write-less day. Grrr.

Now tell me poets don't suffer!

Of course you could make my suffering less by visiting my web site and buying a book... 

www.carlbachofner.com