@lynncoyle1 & @lymepoet,

Hi Lynn. Thanks for the call out. Lavi and I actually go way back.

Lavi, this poem, and its predecessor, reminded me of two things: the Biblical story of Satan tempting Christ in the desert, and, Shakespeare's soliloquy, To Be or Not To Be. The former is pretty obvious, the latter, perhaps less so.

To Be or Not To Be is a contemplation of suicide, an explanation of why we "fight to live" despite the agonies of life. As usual, it's hard to imagine improving upon the Bard's craft:

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
the heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
that Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream ...

At some point, life becomes a Force of Will, a contest between combatants. In your case, it's you against the bugs. The bastards want to break you and, to add irony to agony, the medical profession, that is supposed to be trying to make things better, often makes things worse.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I were talking about Steemit (it involved a fair amount of swearing on my part). Anyway, we now make short-hand reference to the Three Musketeers: @girlbeforemirror, @lymepoet and @lynncoyle1. The three of you have dealt with a "Sea of Troubles" in a manner I find awe-inspiring. And, the fact that the three of you maintain a semblance of sanity (as much as girls can be thought to be sane) ... is remarkable. And so, as you have undoubtedly noticed, I remark.

There is steel within you Lavi, forged by fire and tempered with tears. It is the metal of warriors. And warriors ... war.

Quill