Because of the holiday, I’m taking a hiatus this week from Free Write Friday. Instead enjoy Ellen Bass’s “Any Common Desolation“. Poets.org’s Poem-a-Day arrives in my inbox each morning and, I’m hoping, will make a poetry connoisseur out of me yet. On weekdays they feature new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets. Bass’s image-rich “Any Common Desolation” is one of my favorites from the last few weeks.
Daylight Savings
A poem about motherhood and the hours we lose and gain: Jill Bialosky’s Daylight Savings. Enjoy this as we fall back into standard time.
Narrative Medicine Monday: What the Nurse Likes
Cortney Davis’ poem “What the Nurse Likes” reveals what it’s like to care for patients. She notes in her commentary about her poem that she realized “it is necessary for caregivers to say shocking things occasionally about the type of work that they do”. This poem has helped me reflect on what I enjoy about my work and consider what may seem interesting or odd to those outside of the medical field.
Writing prompt: What do you like about caring for patients? What do you dislike? What do you like about receiving medical care? What do you dislike? Write for ten minutes. Think about if any of these things may be shocking to others. Did you surprise yourself?
*Cortney Davis’ website has some more excellent prompts to try.