Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Pain or No Pain

My stomach has hurt all day today.
I woke up with it hurting at 7 a.m.
It’s 4:30 now and it’s still hurting.
I’ve tried fennel,
crackers,
kefir,
sourdough bread,
baking soda,
and Pepto-Bismol.
I’ve tried lying down,
sitting up,
taking a hot bath and letting the warm water hit my stomach,
and walking on the treadmill.
I’ve tried pretzels,
apple sauce,
bubble water,
tonic water,
a small sip of coffee to get things moving,
and meditation.
I’ve watched two episodes of House,
one episode of Friends,
and read a chapter of Saul Bellow’s Herzog.
But nothing has made it stop hurting.
So I’m going to get up and start writing anyway.
For too long now I have waited for my pain to stop
and conditions to be just right,
before I began writing.
The trouble with that plan is that there is always something
getting in the way.
And now, I’ve waited so long
I can’t keep waiting any longer.
All I have is now,
pain or no pain.
The weird part is,
the more I write,
the less my stomach aches.