In that delicate space…
Of suffering
Between you and I
Between doctor and patient
Between us
In that delicate space of suffering
We meet
And connect
You, with your expectations
Of my ability to heal:
To change your condition
To cure…
And I, knowing full well
My limitations
My craft’s limitations
My own intellectual limitations.
In this delicate space of suffering
Between you and I
Something sacred takes place
As we both come to realize
Our utter powerlessness
In the face of fate, illness, decline, and death.
In this sacred space
We share
A bond of mutual perspective
And in this space healing takes place
As we come to the dawning
Of acceptance
You of your dis-‐ease
And I of my mere facilitation.
I remain humbled by all this
As I age
And experience my own body’s decline
Those bloody sugars that remain silent accusers
Of my addiction to comfort foods
And that spine who supported me for so long
Now revolting in painful spasm
Joints in jubilant revolt
Ligaments in litigation
Tendons in terror
