Glimpses of Life Forty Years

By Lowell Stratton

General Poetry

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483616742

Book preview

THE KINGDOM

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Deeply imbedded

Within

Medical school

Was the kingdom

Of

Surgery.

Isolated

By the

Walls

Of

Sterility.

A world within

A world.

Ruled by

Surgeons,

Anesthesiologists,

Scrub techs,

And circulating nurses.

Arrogance abounded.

Resident surgeons

Junior medical students

Made up

The second

Tier,

Often

Peon-like.

If it was

Thursday

The surgery

Was

Urology.

The king/god

Was

Dr. B.

Self-proclaimed

Ruler

Self-proclaimed

Sexist

He assumed the

Role of

God/king

But

Doubled as

The court jester.

Revered by families

And

Patients,

Loathed by female

Medical students,

Feared by male

Medical students,

Tolerated by the

Staff,

Demeaning to surgical

Residents,

He pontificated

His realm.

However,

In the genre

Of urology

He

Was

Excellent.

The anesthesiologist

Deemed

The sergeant at arms

Began the case

With,

She’s asleep, you may begin.

Disappearing behind the

Blue drape

He

Never

Spoke

Again.

The thin,

Black,

Handsome,

Quietly

Forceful,

Scrub tech

Acting court

Bishop

Regulated

The pace

The flow.

Always,

Always

One step

Ahead of

The king.

His inviolate

Rule

Was

Never

Never

Ever

Touch,

Place on,

Or contaminate

The bishop’s

Domain:

His tables.

Ever!

Even the king

Was

Forbidden.

There was no queen.

The case was long.

The large retractor

Holding back

The spleen

Displeased the

King.

Grabbing it

Flinging it

He

Violated

The rule.

It ended its

Natural life.

Perched

Among and

Upon

The tools

Necessary

For

The completion

Of

The case.

Breaking sterility!

The cardinal sin

Of

Surgery.

No one took

A

Breath.

Everyone

Knew

The rule.

Dr. B

Undeterred

Unapologetic

Continued to

Cut,

Suture,

And

Orchestrate

His case

Seemingly unaware.

Dr. B

Was

Never

Unaware.

Without looking

He stated heatedly:

"Get that thing out of here.