“Creation Myth” by Timothy Cook (poetry ’08)
An excerpt from “Creation Myth” by Timothy Cook (poetry ’08), published by Rogue Agent.
Creation Myth
Sunday morning you will not be at Mass
but at the ophthalmologist’s office.
More than the chart, the two foot tall E
you can see clearly when you open
your left eye, you will hate the finger test.
How many fingers am I holding up?
the doctor will ask. How many
now? Monday afternoon
an MRI: the camera clicking will sound like
a lawn mower roaring beside your skull
or techno. You will remember
raves, beach-ball-sized nitrous balloons
carried above the roller rink crowd. Tuesday
the diagnosis—
you will know
the look on your face from the look
on the doctor’s face, a mirror
with a skipping record.