An earnest lab technician sits in a
study carrel
Scribbling on a
legal pad
Her white lab coat filled with balls of Kleenex,
She is periodically drying her eyes
While under her breath, she is talking to herself
Trying to make sense of her situation
Her confusion; the feelings that constrict her chest
An invisible vise
She has drawn two columns on the paper:
One labeled Etiology
The other Symptomotology
What led to her heart's betrayal?
His actions, unexpected and cruel?
Or her own naivety: irrational expectations?
She concludes that she has created the mess for herself
And the results:
Saline and nausea
These were only the tangible evidence of the subjective experience
Knowing this, after the fact, didn't affect the outcome