or
He sits before us on
his stool
with his small frame
salt and pepper hair and
beard
small blue eyes
with large bags under them
conservative dress
and two hands that seem
to have a mind of their own.
Dr. Drum holds his hands firmly
in his lap.
They start to
Shake.
He rubs them together
holding their composure.
Dr. Drum's excitement for
Infectious Diseases
pops out of his fingertips
his animated head
and the tips of his ears
while his legs and feet remain
unharmed
they remain still, together and
conservative.
"If you eat the fruit
in the Cafeteria You WILL DIE"
he tells us with his serious face
wrinkled forehead
from too much thought.
Now his hands are no
longer in his lap
they flap around wildly
on the verge of explosion
then still
small smirk
cynicism is now bursting the
seams of his viral infected nose and throat
with excitement.
The pessimist stares at our
bored, blank faces
He tells us of a new virus
that we read about
last night.
He knows better than to trust
OUR academic integrity.
"If you go to Africa you will
get a mosquito bite and die."
The corners of his lips turn up
as he talks.
He stops mid-word
mouth open.
I'm sure he is going to bust
out laughing at
himself and our indifference to
the severity of death and dieing
But
like the calm little hands held firmly in his lap
he stifles the laughter
and continues...
