CROSSROADS
Pause at crossroads
Give some thought
Ponder on “ if"s and "but"s
whether or not you should
Weigh the consequences
as Iit decides one"s fate
Turning points in life
builds or changes your future
Crossroads should take you across
and nott leave you in the lurch…..
LOOKING BACK
On looking back at the trodden path
There"s a rosy and a thorny one
Let the thorny be interred
the rosy though trodden was a unique one
made a difference in the lives of many
A yearning in mind to tread that path again….
THOUGHTS
Such might , power , intensity
packed in a moment
Will it culminate in a mind blowing invention ,
self torture , murder or anything heinous
It can gather momentum
as a storm and cause ravage
build or mar relationships
At other times a soothing calmness
that embraces infinity
Can"t a fleeting thought lead to thoughtless actions ?
SMILE
The smile that flickers on a baby"s lips
Asleep or awake
So pure from the wells of innocence
Free of malice
of the cares of mundane life
Methinks such smile
pure , divine
Others clouded……
HEALING
A touch
An unspoken word
An embrace
A hug , empathy
A helping hand
A caring mind
All these heal
Let"s heal one another…
DEAD LEAVES
The mother tree summoned it’s offsprings and said
“Be man’s breath , food , fodder, shade
create and sustain life
you have no life only decay
Stay and be one with the earth
You are eternal and not dead ”
Am I in the midst of a crowd ?
Noisy ,boisterous and cold
Myself a log of wood , a cadaver
total memory loss
Amnesia…. medical term , my profession……
Did I fail ?
Recollect a stab on my chest
and a monster’s face
Who was it ?
Memories fading, tried to dress the wound
the first lesson in my course
A lost dream
The nameplate on my gate , my earnest study
long , long hours and what seemed like eternity
sleepless nights ,missed my parents
Vague thoughts …sinking to an abyss
Oh God ! Save me !
How I yearn to be a Doc !!!!!!!
Tropical wonder tree
Scarlet Cordia you are !
Cordial and evergreen ,
balm to the sick and lean
You amaze the mean
with your scarlet gene.
Third visit to London…. resplendent with flora and fauna. Last visit was in winter when I missed my fav blooms. This time of the year London is stunningly beautiful with flowers of all hues and shades. Thought of sending you a bunch of each that I came across with a little poem.
Why so mum
Chrysanthemum
You silently hum a tune
with your
dashing hues
creating a pageant.
– Chandralekha
Picturesque scene!!!
If I were an artist I would love to paint this scene on a canvas.
It was a day in Obstetrics OT during my PG days. I was on my duty, when suddenly I got a call for an emergency caesarean section.This is like an alarm call when everybody is expected to be on their toes ( surgeons,anaesthetists, pediatricians and the nursing staff).
This lady was wheeled into the theater within 5 minutes of getting the call.
We, as anaesthetists, hardly get time to prep the patient / bystanders. The indication for emergency section was fetal distress. We had time for a quick spinal as per the surgeons. The very word “quick spinal /single shot spinal” itself creates a lot of tension amongst us.
The patient was already very anxious ,her heart was beating fast. She was soon positioned and draped and luckily I could get away with a quick spinal.
In the meanwhile, surgeons were all ready to put the incision. Staff nurses, technicians were all busy doing their duties diligently. Pediatricians had also arrived and they also gloved up, ready to receive the baby.
Surgeons proceeded and finally when they were about to extract the baby, they found the baby’s lie to be abnormal and they had a difficult time trying to take him/her out.
Often a screen is kept separating the mother, so that she doesn’t see the surgical field and get anxious.
As anaesthetists, our primary concern being the mother, we stand with her, behind the screen trying to give emotional support. Whereas at the other end, I find the pediatrician all anxiously waiting for the baby. The more the delay, the more the danger for the baby.
In between I find the surgeons sweating and trying with all their efforts to extract the baby and minimize the problems to both mother and baby. Surgeons were still struggling while the mother’s heart rate was increasing ans she was becoming nauseous. We were trying our best to keep her comfortable and stable.
Pediatricians started getting things ready for intubation and ventilation of the baby. They were anticipating a crisis.
There was too much tension in the room.
From all sides, all our eyes were focused on the surgery and the baby’s birth.
Finally to our happiness, the baby was delivered and we heard a shrill cry.
That moment when you see the smile on all the faces, you could never be more happier!
But no one forgot to do their duties. As an anaesthetist ,I was supposed to give drug for contracting the mother’s uterus, pacify her and give her analgesic/sedative. Surgeons proceeded with removal of placenta and achieval of hemostasis.
The pediatrician was all busy, pampering and nursing the ’much awaited baby’.
This was just one day in the life of an anesthetist. We have many such days, some days when we feel so happy and excited, some days so shattered, somedays so dull and monotonous and it’s all in the game. Such adrenaline rushes keep an anesthetist live!!