poem

 Morning CommuteDriving in to work on the highwayA split-second vision of a flat stoneFrisbeeing from the rear tireOf the oblivious car in front of me,Its surface a shiny mosaicOf onyx black and reptilian greenLike the scutes of a turtle shellWhacking against my chassis And then the sparrow scutteringOut of the way just in timeAs I veered down the off rampTo a brief stop at a red light Where bees were swarming in the swale Around lilacs lazing in the late summer breezeDizzy in the drunkenness of third bloomAnd then, just ahead, passingPenitential geraniums slowly browningIn stone-cosseted flower bedsEmbellishing ugly corporate signsBefore finally pulling into an empty space As the engine clicked and wound down While watching in the rearview mirror A couple leaning into one another Outside their car in the parking lotOf the suburban hospital where I work Blanched faces, bodies soft-slumpedAgainst each other in awkward collision Processing some shared afflictionLike two mortally wounded treesPropping one another upAfter a summer cyclone Has otherwise decimated the land.Such tragedies in overlooked placesUnbeknownst to anyone elseWithout anyone ever noticing.The tiniest slivers of love clinging togetherWhen faced with the alternativeOf having to go it alone.Well, that ’s itI can only hold on so longThat ’s all I rememberThe rest of the day a routinized blur Of charts and numbers and familiar facesBut as I turned and...

Source: Buckeye Surgeon - September 24, 2023 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs