Abduction

Cristian Ramirez Rodriguez, MS1

I arrived on a beam of light,

a wailing siren

The scouts took me up from my sleep

Their hands were smooth and blue,

but their appendages were strong

Put me down on a mechanical bed,

Probed me, stuck me

Looked down on me with wide dark eyes

I felt their judgement

On the ceiling are shining orbs

They whisper and glare,

In a strange tongue

I don’t understand

They take me every week

Their scouts leave for more,

More folk to bring back,

Back to the mothership

I can’t move,

They did this

I need my meds,

They refuse

No, their experiments

More important than my pain

With their machines

Fierce and matte,

The whirl of the gears,

The silence of the halls

Nude, alone, forgotten,

They let me go,

I return to Earth,

Until the next time,

Until the sun chariot

Comes for me again

About the Author:

Cristian Ramirez is a writer, medical student, and former teacher from Lima, Peru. His work appears in Sky Island Journal and 805 Lit + Art. As a first-generation immigrant, Cristian loves stories that transport readers to new destinations – both real and imagined. He resides in New York.

About the Work:

"The Boxer" and "Abduction" are poems written from the perspective of patients.

In “Abduction,” an unreliable narrator takes us along as he experiences being taken to the hospital. Through these pieces, I hoped to capture some of the fear, reflection, and vulnerability that comes from being in poor health.