Contributor: J. K. Durick

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After the measles and mumps, the bruises and bumps
We survive through childhood, it’s no wonder we start
To doctor ourselves, accumulated wisdom and anecdotal
Evidence balance any misgivings as we diagnose and
Prescribe, schedule and treat, bandage and wrap, take two
Then gargle this or that. It’s the easy way of appointments
We never made, tests and screenings we miss. The doctor
We have become is a specialist in many fields. The grave
Cough, the lump, the ache here, joints, muscles, stomachs
And eyes set the stage – it’s as simple as surgery, or change
In diet, or bedtime. Our bedside manner plays it well, nods
In agreement, then writes an easy prescription, like this one,
And never bills our insurance or validates our parking.


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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 Eskimo Pie, Pacific Poetry, Ink Sweat and Tears, and Muddy River Poetry Review.