Connor and Jack explore the poem “Medical History” by Nicole Sealey. They consider medical histories as a form, think through the link between racism and black health disparities, try to figure out what makes the ending so startling and incredible, and meander embarrassingly into the world of sportsball. Read the poem below. Check out her debut collection here: https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062688828/ordinary-beast/ More about Nicole Sealey, here: http://nicolesealey.com/ Find us on Facebook at: facebook.com/closetalking  Find us on Twitter at: twitter.com/closetalking  You can always send us an e-mail with thoughts on this or any of our previous podcasts, as well as suggestions for future shows, at [email protected]. Medical History By: Nicole Sealey I’ve been pregnant. I’ve had sex with a man who’s had sex with men. I can’t sleep. My mother has, my mother’s mother had, asthma. My father had a stroke. My father’s mother has high blood pressure. Both grandfathers died from diabetes. I drink. I don’t smoke. Xanax for flying. Propranolol for anxiety. My eyes are bad. I’m spooked by wind. Cousin Lilly died from an aneurysm. Aunt Hilda, a heart attack. Uncle Ken, wise as he was, was hit by a car as if to disprove whatever theory toward which I write. And, I understand, the stars in the sky are already dead.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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