Diagnosis

Contributor: J.K. Durick

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They didn’t need to call us in for any of this
We felt it coming on a long time ago, a hint
A whisper of things to come, the grasp of it,
The trap of it snaps shut; the words he says
Give it life, a life of its own, separate from us,
Moves it center stage, knows its lines, its moves
Blocked out, produced, directed, well critiqued,
With these words the curtain rises on our last act,
His restless captive audience squirms in their seats,
The words begin to paint pictures, whole scenes
Come to life, the beginning, middle, and end,
The inner workings of things, the stages, progression
And the finally fading into inevitable darkness;
His words become monstrous, whirl around us,
Grab and pull at us, a pack of wolves around us,
Our backs to the wall, our firing squad readies,
Our blindfold slips a bit, and we finally ask if
Anything can be done, knowing full well the answer.


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J. K. Durick is a writing teacher at the Community College of Vermont and an online writing tutor. His recent poems have appeared in Shot Glass Journal, Black Mirror, Third Wednesday, Thrush Poetry Journal, and Madswirl.