J.K. Durick- A Poem

J. K. Durick is a writing teacher at the Community College of Vermont and an online writing tutor. His recent poems have appeared in Literary Juice, Jellyfish Whispers, Third Wednesday, and Common Ground Review.

                    Fright

At first it’s the eyes that catch us

and hold us steady – as unblinking as truth,

and then their whispers start, fill the hush

with a certainty, the comfort of distance

protects them this time.

The discomfort fits us – like a child’s

topcoat, like a leg brace fits us, fills us

with stammer and slant, loses our place

and our voice, blurs the familiar with

the strange, fits dread to outcome,

leaves us alone in this crowded room.

There’s blame enough, a bruise or two,

a stalled life, a hesitancy we can’t explain,

the mystery, the history of our silence.

It’s always there, the eyes and small voices,

there, like the ghosts of our dead friends

who trail behind us to remind us

of what came before and what comes next.