Swollen Finger
One ring was all it took
But of course it’s not just any ring
I’ve had it 25 years now
Never wanting to remove it
But something changed recently
Very imperceptibly
My finger gently swelling
Trapping the ring in folds of skin
Try as I could
I couldn’t
Extricate it
Though my force was abundant
What gives?
This has never happened before
Some soap. Some water.
Was all I needed to pour
Yet something changed recently
Have I put on weight
In my index extremities?
Surely surely that can’t be?!
Oh dear oh dear
The swelling’s swelling
Even more now than before
Will I have to chop it off?
Sometimes life is like this ring
Dormant for a quarter century then
Boom! It decides to squeeze
The very life out of its host
Demanding that I pay it heed
Accept its terms and then concede
Defeat or like a python’s twist
My very life force crushed like a fist
But all’s not lost
Try patience and oil
Which I did
And now I’m free!
Ring on a new finger
Where it will do no more harm
Yet it knows I still love it
Cease striving. Be calm.
