By Ayush Singh

Bruises suggest abuse,

Avoidant eyes indicate anxiety.

A quiver in the patient’s voice…

Are they lying about their sobriety?

My first patient was an alcoholic.

She kept secrets from me too.

But I was naive at the time,

And would take her words at face-value.

I fancy myself a detective now,

Sifting through each insincerity.

Onset, location, duration…

Radiation and then severity.

I never get the full picture;

I only hear what they want to tell me.

Which makes sense after all;

Who wants to share the ugly parts of their story?