Looking for a Hero: Lessons from the Bedside

Looking for a Hero (click for the live author reading) was a poem written about an eight eight year old grandmother of eight who returns to the only doctor in town looking for a hero. She is progressively becoming more unsteady on her feet. I saw her and thought of my own grandmother. Suspicious of a rare disease, I order a few x-rays. I made a diagnosis, but in light of the fact this charming woman was nearing the end, I realized that she could have expired happily without knowing.

Looking for a Hero

Eighty-eight rings,

Bark refuses to heal,

Roots commence aching,

Decay becomes real.

A cry for help,

Nourishment to grow,

Only a few rings remain,

The voice disappears below.

The cry is answered,

Help arrives too soon,

Chemicals invade the roots,

Clouds obscure its moon.

Her sun has faded

Her night has disappeared,

Her voice regrets invading the silence,

And wonders where she was steered.

This poem appears in the book by Michael S Okun Lessons from the Bedside.