Notice: Fel d 1 Reclassified

All morning, my sinuses have been on high alert,
Fighting some war with everything they’ve got!

I’ve been vacuuming;
It’s dust and cat dander.

I try to tell them,
“This is a friendly protein, don’t worry.”

They are certain
I am wrong.

They’ve done their jobs dutifully for almost 30 years;
I might be higher up but, respectfully, Captain,
They’ve got it under control.

Hrm.
Yes.
Okay.

With muscles,
Prone to clenching and bracing,
Soft reassurance is the remedy.

The nose is militarized.
No room for tenderness
In these trying times.

How do you reach commanders,
In the height of battle?

[ Pondering, processing, percolating ]
[ Consulting, creating, characterizing ]

Aha!

{ eyes closed, all energy focused on the bridge }

“Our most sincere apologies.
Command failed to update you.
The origin of this hostile party
Is a civilian in our home.
Stand down.”

Immediate relief,
To my shock and chagrin.

(Did you really think I expected it to work??)

Of course,
Easement is not the same as Weapons Down;
It takes time for decrees to travel through chains of command.

It will likely take a few more instances before the
Innate prejudice of the cells on the front lines
Becomes socially unacceptable
And fades away.

Until then, I will communicate vigilantly via
Memo postings, emails, and intercom announcements
Throughout the community that is my sinus system.

I have faith they are capable of changing their biases.