Kevin K.

He stared gloomily at his clock
The hands ticking closer to One;
Then he stared mournfully at his essay
Which he’d not yet begun.

It was late and he was tired
His eyes were drooping shut
He’d surely be asleep by now
If not for the panic in his gut.

For a week he’d had to write it
He could’ve worked all night
Instead he put it off again and again
Wasting precious time to write.

He’d really meant to start by now
But The Office was on, then Lost
And the Daily Show and Colbert Report
Had really been worth the cost.

He gazed at the blank screen before him
Thinking of YouTube, Aim and Facebook all
But he nobly fought through the urge
And defied their siren’s call.

Only a few hours left before sunrise now
And he knew what he had to do
He dove into his essay
And across the keyboard his fingers flew.

The thesis was impeccable
The transitions smoothly flowed
It wasn’t ‘til the final brilliant sentence
That his fingers finally slowed.

After a week of endless suffering –
Hours of endless stress
One triumphant hour of work
Let him revel in sweet success.

Exhausted and relieved,
He dragged himself to bed
Content just to enjoy the pleasure
Of laying down his head.

He’d learned his agonizing lesson
And seen the evil ways of this technique
He swore to abandon this insidious habit
Maybe tomorrow, or next week.