not now, i have a headache

she used to get a lot
of headaches.
mostly when I was around.
she'd grab the side of her head
and rub it, or place
a bag of frozen peas on the vein
she claimed was throbbing
in her temple.
otherwise, on the phone,
twenty miles away, she
seemed happy. very happy.
I can't blame her.
sometimes
I give myself a headache
too. I suggested a lobotomy,
or acupuncture,
or perhaps an exorcism
by Father Damien over at
St. Bernadette's,
but she declined.
sadly, over time,
it did get in the way
of our romantic interludes.
she used to wear a laminated
placard
around her neck when I visited,
that read,
not now, maybe later,
or in the morning.
I feel a migraine coming on.
don't touch me.