In the Theatre Poem by Dannie Abse
In the Theatre
Sister saying—‘Soon you'll be back in the ward,'
sister thinking—‘Only two more on the list,'
the patient saying—‘Thank you, I feel fine';
small voices, small lies, nothing untoward,
though, soon, he would blink again and again
because of the fingers of Lambert Rogers,
rash as a blind man's, inside his soft brain.
If items of horror can make a man laugh
then laugh at this: one hour later, the growth
still undiscovered, ticking its own wild time;
more brain mashed because of the probe's braille path;
Lambert Rogers desperate, fingering still;
his dresser thinking, ‘Christ! Two more on the list,
a cisternal puncture and a neural cyst.'
Then, suddenly, the cracked record in the brain,
a ventriloquist voice that cried, ‘You sod,
leave my soul alone, leave my soul alone,'—
the patient's dummy lips moving to that refrain,
the patient's eyes too wide. And, shocked,
Lambert Rogers drawing out the probe
with nurses, students, sister, petrified.
‘Leave my soul alone, leave my soul alone,'
that voice so arctic and that cry so odd
had nowhere else to go—till the antique
gramophone wound down and the words began
to blur and slow, ‘ … leave … my … soul … alone … '
to cease at last when something other died.
And silence matched the silence under snow.
Beautifully penned. Thanks for sharing. Leave my soul alone, leave my soul alone, ' that voice so arctic and that cry so odd had nowhere else to go—till the antique gramophone wound down and the words began 10 for it.
A brilliantly envisioned thought provoking profound poem. Congrats on the modern poem of the Day. Thanks for sharing.
To think of such a rare subject to write a poem is itself great... and truly the poem has resulted in a great work- 10
2) May Dr. Daniel rest in peace. Thank you so much Poem Hunter and Team to have chosen Dannie Abse´s poem as The Modern Poem Of The Day. Men, even doctors are human and have deep emotions either. Dannie Abse showed in this poem how very painful such a moment is, especially when a dedicated medical doctor failed to help. I will read this beautiful saddest poem time and again. A very touching poem, superbly written.
Dannie Abse as poet better known as a dedicated medical doctor created this superb poem about a patient who is going to die. I have in my life known so many doctors and we can read here how very sad and tragic this is, the moment that a dedicated doctor failed to help, the tragedy I can feel, the deep sadness the doctot felt at that moment. CONGRATULATIONS to the family Abse in the UK for this prize of honour.
A beautiful work of art. Well conceived and elegantly brought forth with insight. Thanks for sharing.
Haunting imagery that is amplified by the gramophone, " Leave...my...soul...alone." An excellent write on hospitals, and their nurses and doctors where saving a live is trumpeted. Thanks for posting this Dannie Abse poem. : -)
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/30/2024 8:57:47 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Nice.. congrats for being selected....