They blessed me,
in unison, she with her eyes to me
him turned away – both
with a smile. “Thank you.”

“That was a little one,
much smaller than usual
much smaller than the one
that blew out my carotid artery,”
I told them.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Yes I am.”

He turned, she furrowed her brow
and let her glasses slip down
just a bit, “What happened?
How could a sneeze …”

“I Held it in. The pressure burst my carotid artery.
the ensuing blood clot went to my eye
and my retina was destroyed.”

“The lesson,” I told them, “is don’t hold it in.
Never hold it in.”

They nodded politely.

As they got up and walked by me on the left
they didn’t realize I couldn’t see them.

“Bye.” they said.

I relaxed into a sigh
and tried to forget what the world used to be.