Jerk

Encephalitis is a cruel disease,
But your head has become exceeding small.
You have so little mental wherewithal
That I believe your mind, as small as fleas,
Has fizzled down to nothing. Bees, peas, lees,
All must exceed the size of what you call
Your brain. Inflamed? No, we think, not at all;
A cramp, perhaps. A plug, a jerk, a freeze.

Brain jerk? There seems to be no proper name
Describing what you have: is it a jerk
That best describes you? Maybe. That might work,
Although some feel, in spite of no deep flame,
You might not simply be a dolt, your fame
Deriving from how much your soul can shirk.