As my shortness of breath lasts longer,
doctors line up hypotheses like bottles
at a carnival, toss test after test at them,
but never win the giant stuffed panda.
After 18 months of failing to hit my
symptoms with any of the usual causes,
they tell me the heart can retain iron,
making it too rigid to pump properly.
If that diagnosis is [...]

Campaign promises glitter like leaves,
and while voters enjoy the fall colors,
they expect fruit as rewards, not beauty.
Winners might be patient, but losers
will cry “I told you so,” at any delay
in delivery on even forgotten pledges.
Before someone rakes his fallen foliage
into ugly piles, Obama needs to produce
a pruned “to do list,” with target dates.
Despite [...]