Disciplined: Managing Pain

Judging mind
And having so much pain,
How they go together?
I can’t figure out.

Lying on the bed
And howling anyway,
Writhing like a snake
And moaning like a cow.

Ah! That feels better,
At least for a while
But soon I’ve got to go to work,
So then, what now?

Tried slowing breathing
To a crawl,
Heard that’s an old yogi trick,
Thought I’d give it a try,

Breathing in slowly
And holding it for a while,
Breathing out fully
And letting it rest,

In, out,
At a gradual pace,
Muscles relaxing
And rising ease and peace;

Still extra analgesics
Were needed to function,
Drat this wonky weather
It’s shaking this body up.

Now, up and get dressed
And ready to go,
Put the boots on
And out into the cold.