Viruses are my sister's children who have come to stay at my place for the weekend.

They try to get into the cupboards.

They draw with thick crayons on the back of my throat.

They run up and down the inside of my head with small hands covered in marmite and jam which takes forever to get off the walls.

They bang pots and pans on the floor.

They wipe their feet on the centre of my tongue.

The cry loudly in the middle of the night.

Sometimes they swing on that dangly thing which hangs from the back of my mouth until I cough.

I eat broken biscuits all week.

No wonder my nose runs.

Glenn Colquhoun was born in Auckland, New Zealand and is a doctor practising in Te Tai Tokeran, Northland. He was the winner of the 2003 Montana New Zealand book award for poetry. This poem is from Playing God, Steele Roberts. Another of Glenn's poems was published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal.

Poem chosen by Femi Oyebode.