It has stricken my dear wife with a vengeance, even rendered her to the hospital for a brief visit. An inflammation of the outer lining of the lungs, it has visited her with an egregious, hacking cough. She describes it as an Elephant resting on her chest.

There is medication, but none that weaves magic. The most welcome words that the Doctor offers are: “It will go away , eventually.”

The cough subsides briefly, then there it is back again, sounding more sickly than before. If I didn’t know better, the cough evokes the prose of Poe’s ANNABEL LEE. It is not pleasing to hear, even more discomforting.

What brings it on? Judy was battling Pneumonia in the hospital. Apparently Pleurisy is the second cousin. I’m not sure which is worse. Neither are good, but no match for a good woman. Jude is hanging in there.