Critical Condition
- WorkInWords
- Jan 13, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 10, 2020
The poem focuses on learned helplessness and the pursuit of unhappiness, and on the preference some people seem to have to be a victim rather than to change their circumstances for the better. Maybe for some it’s easier.
'Critical Condition'
Do not disturb. I am licking my wounds
To make sure that they never heal
Don’t turn me around – I am facing the past,
The present or future unreal.
It’s a zero-sum game with only one rule
For everyone’s loss there’s a win
And for everyone’s win someone else has to lose
We are trapped with original sin.
If I turn into salt that’s my Lot in this world
But I’m not going to take all the blame
I’m a victim of circumstance, not out of choice
They made me take part in this game.
This virtual prison does nicely for me,
I’m used to it now. Close the door
On your way out please. No, wait, don’t go
You’ll have me believing there’s more.
(Jenny Knight, 2018)
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What a clever poem, full of puns. It made me smile despite the apparent sadness as the writer was clearly displaying petulance with her tongue firmly in her cheek.