In a kitchen bright, a pan sits high,
Teflon gleaming 'neath the sky,
But heed the heat, beware the flame,
For polymer fumes bring fleeting pain.
At five hundred degrees or more,
Invisible vapors start to soar.
They waft through air, unseen, unsung,
Until they fill your tender lung.
A fever comes, a shiver too,
The chills set in with headaches new.
Muscle aches begin to creep,
As nausea stirs you from your sleep.
Shortness of breath, a hacking cough,
For a day or two, you'll shrug it off.
It fades away, this ghostly plight,
But don't ignore the kitchen's might.
Cook slow and steady, low the flame,
Ensure the air can breathe the same.
A window open, breeze flows through,
And polymer fumes won't bother you.
But birds, they suffer far the worst,
For them, the fumes can spell a curse.
So be alert, and watch the heat,
For Teflon's flu, you won't repeat.
