Marc Cid
Marc Cid has been doing poetry in the Greater Los Angeles area for over a decade. He helped run The Definitive Soapbox open mic for several years, and is one of the founders of Fresh Grounds open mic. Marc is working on publishing his first manuscript, YOUR FUNERAL SUCKED, BY THE WAY, a collection of poems about mental health from the perspective of growing up in a highly-religious Filipino-American community.
Marc Cid has been doing poetry in the Greater Los Angeles area for over a decade. He helped run The Definitive Soapbox open mic for several years, and is one of the founders of Fresh Grounds open mic. Marc is working on publishing his first manuscript, YOUR FUNERAL SUCKED, BY THE WAY, a collection of poems about mental health from the perspective of growing up in a highly-religious Filipino-American community.
Things You Can Say About Depression That You Can’t Say About Bronchitis
I have bronchitis, I told them,
so I’ll be keeping quiet and to myself,
if I go out at all. Sorry in advance
for all the coughing.
Let me help you, they said.
I.
said I fixed my bronchitis
when I quit cigarettes.
I told her I didn’t smoke.
Then you don’t have bronchitis.
II.
said everybody gets bronchitis
every now and then. You just need
to stop thinking about your lungs,
find a way to distract yourself
from breathing. How ‘bout
you pick up a night shift at the bar
I’m working at? I’ll put in a good word
if you just stop coughing all the time.
Every time you let yourself cough,
you’re making it worse.
III.
said bronchitis is a symptom of modernity,
the manifestation of the misalignment
between your bronchial tubes
and your invalid attitude.
You should try doing yoga.
IV.
the record, I was too busy hacking up
my hacked-up lungs to respond.
They patted me on the back
and nodded.
My point exactly. See?
I know what I’m talking about.
I have bronchitis, I told them,
so I’ll be keeping quiet and to myself,
if I go out at all. Sorry in advance
for all the coughing.
Let me help you, they said.
I.
said I fixed my bronchitis
when I quit cigarettes.
I told her I didn’t smoke.
Then you don’t have bronchitis.
II.
said everybody gets bronchitis
every now and then. You just need
to stop thinking about your lungs,
find a way to distract yourself
from breathing. How ‘bout
you pick up a night shift at the bar
I’m working at? I’ll put in a good word
if you just stop coughing all the time.
Every time you let yourself cough,
you’re making it worse.
III.
said bronchitis is a symptom of modernity,
the manifestation of the misalignment
between your bronchial tubes
and your invalid attitude.
You should try doing yoga.
IV.
the record, I was too busy hacking up
my hacked-up lungs to respond.
They patted me on the back
and nodded.
My point exactly. See?
I know what I’m talking about.
© 2026 Marc Cid
Marc Cid was a Featured Poet at the September 2026 Second Sunday Poetry Series
Marc Cid was a Featured Poet at the September 2026 Second Sunday Poetry Series