Afraid So

by Jeanne Marie Beaumont
from Curious Conduct. © BOA Editions, Ltd., 2004

Is it starting to rain?
Did the check bounce?
Are we out of coffee?
Is this going to hurt?
Could you lose your job?
Did the glass break?
Was the baggage misrouted?
Will this go on my record?
Are you missing much money?
Was anyone injured?
Is the traffic heavy?
Do I have to remove my clothes?
Will it leave a scar?
Must you go?
Will this be in the papers?
Is my time up already?
Are we seeing the understudy?
Will it affect my eyesight?
Did all the books burn?
Are you still smoking?
Is the bone broken?
Will I have to put him to sleep?
Was the car totaled?
Am I responsible for these charges?
Are you contagious?
Will we have to wait long?
Is the runway icy?
Was the gun loaded?
Could this cause side effects?
Do you know who betrayed you?
Is the wound infected?
Are we lost?
Will it get any worse?
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Life's full of questions; doesn't it seem that "afraid so" is too often the answer? Afraid so...

Ms. Beaumont's bio says that this poem was made into a short film by award-winning filmmaker Jay Rosenblatt. I'm intrigued: I'll have to check at Netflix and hope that their reply is not "Afraid not."