A new book spine poem with a medical theme, to see the year out:
*
Hidden Symptoms
Hidden symptoms
Under the skin:
A disaffection,
A ghost in the throat –
Patient or pretender
Waiting for the healer.
Can you tolerate
This parasite?
*
Thanks to the authors: Deirdre Madden, Michel Faber, James Kelman, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Marc D. Feldman, Charles V. Ford, Toni Reinhold, Eamonn Sweeney, Ashleigh Young, and Bong Joon Ho.
Deirdre Madden, one of my favourite Irish writers, has featured in a few previous book spine poems and other posts. James Kelman appeared in the first set, back in 2010. ‘Hidden Symptoms’ is no. 47; you can browse the full archive of bookmashes here.
Sentence first 
Truly inspired. Love it!
Happy holidays 🐦
Thank you, and many happy returns! ✨
Now, Stan, I hope you did not construct that book spine poem and that it just happened naturally. The rules is the rules :)
Ah, Philip, it’s hard enough to arrange them in semi-coherent fashion! If I were to wait for chance and entropy to create something satisfactory, I’d need a spinning bookcase and a few more lifetimes.
Or some of those clever monkeys Shakespeare had.