The Best Medicine

Meg Cox

It must be genetic

that just lying on our backs

made me and my brother laugh.

When we had adjoining bedrooms

our mother would shout up the stairs

"stop reading now and go to sleep."

Later she would shout again

"Stop laughing now."

Adult, I went to yoga classes

and at the end we had to lie

on our backs on our mats and relax

doing yogic breathing, but before long

I was asked to leave before that part –

disruptive to meditation.

Come to think of it

lying on my back laughing

has caused me quite a bit of trouble

in the past.

-o0o-