A LAUGHING MATTER

It’s three weeks since Bell’s Palsy froze my face,
One side of it, leaving that half shut down,
Expressionless, the right side yet with grace
And happiness, the left locked in a frown.

By now mobility’s mostly returned
To the afflicted side: I raise my brow,
Its wrinkles now restored; my eye’s relearned
Its wink, not sunk in a despondent slough;

And happily my whistle’s back in gear—
How strange it was I could not shape my lips
To make that customary sound appear,
Having a mouth that dribbles when it sips.

     I’ll know I’m fully cured when both ears wiggle
     And I recall this trauma with a giggle.

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