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Contests : Tom Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest : Past Winners : 2008 : Third Prize
ANXIETY DISORDER
he comes for her
making
her kind heart beat fast
her beautiful blue eyes blur
her gentle hands cold
her long lovely legs weak
knowing he could never
make her do anything wrong
he is satisfied
with diminishing the world
by stealing
her smile
a smile
that pushes away
the darkness
the anger
the jealousy
the greed
he has worked so hard
to instill
in those of us
far less beautiful than she
delivering fear
from nowhere
he doesn't bother whispering
in her patient ear
he knows she has
no ears for him
he knows if he spoke
she would just bring
the soft light
of that smiling face
to bear on him
dispersing his
cold fetid malice
like mourning sunshine
through a frozen
autumn mist
smug with satisfaction
in his plan
he watches
as she calls to
the one she loves most
in despair
I can hardly hear her voice
over his
"get back to work—"
"there are things to do"
"money to be earned"
"ambition to be satiated"
"fame to be won"
"remember, you are doing it for her"
for to me
he does not whisper
he speaks boldly
because he knows
I have more than ears
for him
This poem won third prize in the 2008 Tom
Howard/John H. Reid Poetry Contest sponsored by Tom Howard Books. Author Joseph Gorman received a $500 award. Winning Writers assists this contest. Copyright is reserved to the author.
About Joseph Gorman
Joe Gorman is a surgeon and cardiovascular scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with his wife Patti and their five children. The family enjoys the beach in summer and skiing/snowboarding in winter. He writes poetry as a hobby.
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