Ice forms on the inside window; furnace exhaust fleeces frost under soffits, warms the branches for sparrows and chickadees whose metabolisms have adapted to survive the frigid cold. Santa Cruz would be nice this time of year, when joints cease up like river ice, knotted and creaking. Don’t worry, don’t worry the 3-D domino molecular cascade is perfectly safe the rheumatologist says. The only thing to stop the bones from crumbling to dusty meal to spread between the rows of beans and peas in summer to stop the rabbits from nibbling their juicy buds. Take your medicine, injectable monoclonal antibodies¹ harvested from goats and rabbits confined in dank pens and secret barns somewhere in Santa Cruz. It will make you strong and juicy, unlike the goats or rabbits. Tumours and bones protruding, metal feeders, dirty bandages. Definitely no golden fleece here Jason.

1. Prolia, or Denosumab, is a monoclonal antibody aggressively marketed to post-menopausal women as the panacea for osteoporosis. Build your bones back without work or effort. Save time and money by not going to
the gym. The first FDA-approved RANKL inhibitor. At $470 a pop, or injection, twice a year, indefinitely. The National Women’s Health Network says, “Denosumab’s cellular target in bone also exists in the immune system and serious infections requiring hospitalization (eg. heart infections), skin reactions, atypical fractures (of thigh bone). Concerns exist that its immune system effects could include, ovarian and cervical cancer, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer recurrences.” NIH Medline Plus list the following side effects: red, dry, or itchy skin; oozing or crusty blisters on skin; peeling skin; back pain; pain in arms; muscle or joint pain; nausea; diarrhea; headache; runny nose; sore throat; muscle stiffness, twitching, cramps, or spasms; numbness or tingling in fingers, toes, or around mouth; hives; rash; itching; difficulty breathing or swallowing; swelling of the face, throat, tongue, or lips; dizziness; fainting; blurred vision; fever or chills; tiredness; redness, tenderness, swelling or warmth of area of skin; ear drainage or severe pain; frequent or urgent need to urinate; burning feeling during urination; pain, numbness, swelling, or drainage from mouth, teeth, or jaw; slow healing of the mouth or jaw; severe abdominal pain; ongoing pain that begins in the stomach area, but may spread to the back; fast heart rate.