Fire

I can’t sleep again tonight.

I close my eyes, roll over, but all I can feel

Is the burning sensation of acid

In my throat.

My chest is on fire.

Thanks, chicken parmesan

With way too much tomato sauce.

I can’t complain—it was the first ‘outside food’

I had eaten in 84 days.

Thanks, gastroesophageal reflux disease—

A mild inconvenience at best,

A hindrance to sleep at worst.

My body slowly rises, blindly grasping for my phone and earbuds.

70s soft rock calls my name,

And I close my eyes once again.

Though the burning in my heart shifts

To reasons unrelated to acid

As I think about recent news,

I begin to count my blessings.

My chest is on fire, but I can breathe.