Seborrheic Keratosis
by Fredrick Martyn*

She didn’t care that his words stank like halitosis
For she was blinded by the amorous amaurosis
A relationship that had started with blissful symbiosis
Had slowly turned parasitic like toxoplasmosis

Alas, she could not outrun the poor prognosis
Their connection soon narrowed like aortic stenosis
Then it eventually happened, the myocardial necrosis
And they split like a cell during the last stage of mitosis

Her heart writhed like a hand with athetosis
Her mood drooped like an eye lid with a ptosis
She felt at a loss like hypovitaminosis
A general sense of blue, internal cyanosis

In time, the tears disappeared and instead anhidrosis
For she accepted the truth that she was no longer hopeless
With a brand new perspective as if it were hypnosis
She’d now live life for herself instead of dreaming of roses

She overcame the darkness, the mind’s melanosis
Now hardened and tough like systemic sclerosis
Some scarring still apparent like liver cirrhosis
But thankful she was not stuck on him,

seborrheic keratosis.

Bio: Fredrick Martyn is a writer, poet and medical student originally from Toronto. His poetry has appeared in Pulp Poets Press, Spillwords Press and The Eunoia Review among other places. Find his words at fredrickmartyn.weebly.com