United in Empathy
Red. White. Pink.
Another year, gone in a blink.
Flags flying high, jets sailing through the sky.
The nation remembers and cheers
For fifty-nine years of blood, sweat and tears.
It's easy to forget, amidst the daily grind
We so quickly cast our humanity from our minds
All that matters is getting through the day
Working, adulting, earning our pay
We cease to understand
That beneath the veneer of the ordinary man
Is a fellow human being
Who just wants to be seen
I give you this example
It's not representative, just a sample
The aged doc desperately clinging to what he can
He can't grasp his hearing or his eyesight in his shaking hands
But what he hopes is just to leave a legacy
Of the foundations he's built, kinda like a tree
Strong and tall, with roots so deep
To be remembered with fondness and respect, the day he goes to his eternal sleep
For one cannot discount this man; he's not a bygone relic but a chest of treasure
Brimming with pearls of wisdom, to be sure
Oh, he isn't easy to deal with; he's stubborn andforceful.
But when you've endured the things he has, couldn't I say the same of you?
Take this illustration
Of a junior doc standing by her workstation
You think she's just a tender berry
You call her certain names to make harmless merry
Yet think of the hitherto unknown challenges she faces
Walk in her shoes and just see the traces
Of the daunting things she has to do.
We've all been there and done that, gritting our teeth, that is true.
But every generation endures a different type of struggle. Didn't you?
All I'm saying is – just because we have a vendetta
Don't use each other for your own agenda
Have some perspective
Create a united narrative
We're all doctors operating
In a landscape that's ever evolving
(This goes for the tree and the fruit and everyone else in between)
So as we barrel into the nation's sixtieth year
I wish you all plenty of good cheer
Here's to our goal
For doctors, for patients
Let's do it as a whole.