querl: transitive verb – To twirl; to turn or wind round; to coil; as, to querl a cord, thread, or rope.

Inattentional Blindness

Seeing you especially violent, one witness

Elsewhere, the querling stimulus is only concern
Processed stress narrowing focus due

The physical weapons drawn
A state of attention blinding
Can occur during high events

Cognitively inattentional, blind witness

Inattentional blindness is a state of seeing but not seeing. The physical stimulus is visually processed, but due to attention drawn elsewhere, you are cognitively blind. Attention narrowing, like querling cord, can occur due to periods of high stress, especially during violent events that cause weapons focus. Inattentional blindness is only one area of concern in witness testimony.

*This poem was written in response to today’s Na/GloPoWriMo prompt. I didn’t follow Dan Brady’s form, exactly, but enjoyed the practice of finding my poem by pulling the words from the prose paragraph I wrote. The prose paragraph was inspired by the Forensic Psychology course I’m taking through Open University at futurelearn.com.

Happy Reading and Writing!