To His Abscess

So many people will now gain
from thee, my swollen pile of pain:
the doctor and the nurse I’ll pay
to make sure that you go away;
the tech who’s paid to run the test;
the clerk who sends out that request;
the pharma firm that sells the med;
the drugstore too will get some bread.
You’re so much more than blood and pus —
you’re economic stimulus.

Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue