Reminders Poem by H. Rand Swansey

At first, the telltale signs were few and inconsistent-
a momentary shortness of breath; a dry, unproductive cough;
quick, stabbing pains like split-second jolts of electricity-
nothing to indicate the destruction developing inside his chest.

So he ignored them.

Have you had a chest x-ray, I suggested, rather than asked,
for the second or third time that summer.
No, and please stop reminding me, he replied.

I wonder, as I gaze mesmerized at the slow and steady drip of
toxins falling into his veins, if he recalls those reminders now.