To Emily, My Holy Intermediary and Patron Saint of Costives

Congestion arises in the mind
And travels along the karmic pathways
To the stygian organs. Here,
On Lake Bonvivant in the Hooligan Alps,
The fourth star awarded this spit-spot hotel
Stands for virtuous retention--
Of sleep, of predictability,
Of last week's bouillabaisse--
And no amount of kava will loosen
The kraken's tentacle-grasp on one's innermost
Intimate needs. Large doses of patience
And copious quaffs of voda, plus
A termite's boring mentality--
These alone will drill holes in the beaver dam,
These alone will dismantle solidified structures,
And permit the river of dependable flux
(Nature's humming, harmonious linear engine)
To flow wild and free once more.