February 26, 2015

What is a Stump But the Abscence of Limb?

What is a Stump

But the Absence of Limb?

 

What is a stump, but the absence of limb?
Let sick life be done and new one begin!
Faults of flesh repaired with technology,
We’re here to save you, we have the degree.

‘Twas all I thought as I entered the room,
A gay call to save this poor man from doom
From ciggies and diet – things read in the book,
Now sick appendage, I came and I took.

Rewind just a bit to understand me,
With twinkling eyes, a surgeon to be.
Oh the OR, as it called like a verse,
And whispered, “come here, time to assist first.”

Eight weeks did I wait and finally beep,
Intern’s off-duty, how high I did leap,
And exclaimed to all, “time to chop a leg!”
Ditched the banquet to scrub, no fear, no dread.

What is a stump, but the absence of limb?
It happens to many, this time to him.
Few med students have so lucky a chance,
Now would be my turn to wield surgeon’s lance.

But what if he knew my luck was his loss,
How quickly aside kind words would he toss.
Words that I meant could now meaningless be,
If at that moment, he happened on me.

Excited was I, so much that I shook,
Sprinting through halls, every short-cut I took.
No thoughts of he, on whom I had rounded
Proper technique, and Recall I pounded.

And when the time came, I focused, no smile
Undertaking the act, strange all the while.
“Good job” was earned, as I made myself look
There, warm in my hand, lay unattached foot.

What is a stump, but the absence of limb?
Bone and muscle covered with flap of skin.
When limbs are septic, a cure it can be,
Then back to the floor toward recovery.

He was drugged, alone, and absent one leg,
I’d gone home, showered, then shuffled to bed.
Before the daylight could bring morning gloom,
I’d studied his chart, then into his room.

He lay as he did every morn before,
Subtle smile shown as I opened the door.
As my gaze moved down I became quite ill,
This Being has changed, product of my thrill.

Had I not the foresight of this vision?
Had I been seduced by the incision?
Was I too young or ignorant to be
trusted by him to hold the healing key?

What is a stump, but the absence of limb?
At what point does stump end, and man begin?
For man without limb is a stump you see,
Loss affects all that a body can be.

But still this does not explain all I saw
Crucibles differ, to any and all.
What we can’t do is push our perspective,
No pity, no scorn, just be receptive.

Though his mass lessened, his weight on me grew,
And revealed to me, another thing true.
Than anything we think, a man is more,
Than stature, than status, than his limbs four.

And when with this Man, we’re trusted to act
With blade, potion, or word, we have a pact:
Acknowledge our aims while inclined to feel,
Maintain above all, the honor to heal.

Bradley Potts is an MS3 who is interested in Urology and enjoys fishing and watching Ohio State Football in his free time.