Jump to content

Playing God by Glenn Colquhoun


Recommended Posts

I am not usually a poetry reader but I absolutely love love love Glenn Colquhoun!

 

Glenn is a doctor and a poet and has spent a large chunk of his doctoring life working in Te Tii, a remote area of Northland, New Zealand with a predominantly Maori population (the indigenous people of New Zealand).

 

His book Playing God is a collection of poems about medicine. I have copied a couple of poems in as they are already freely available on the internet. I would highly recommend this book to anyone in a medical field. It's very easy in medical training or working in a hospital to become disease focussed rather than people focussed and these poems are such a reminder to think about the patient as a person but also remember that doctors are people too. I think this book has a broader appeal though than just medics as I think everyone knows what it feels like to be sick, to be misunderstood, to have a difficult decision to make, to be in doubt.

 

Here are some poems:

 

 

 

WHEN I AM IN DOUBT

a poem for surgeons

 

When I am in doubt I talk to surgeons.

I know that they will know what to do.

They seem so sure.

 

Once I talked to a surgeon.

He said that when he is in doubt

He talks to priests.

Priests will know what to do.

Priests seem so sure.

 

Once I talked to a priest.

He said that when he is in doubt

He talks to God.

God will know what to do.

God seems so sure.

 

Once I talked to God.

He said that when he is in doubt

he thinks of me.

He says I will know what to do.

I seem so sure.

 

 

 

 

TODAY I DO NOT WANT TO BE A DOCTOR

 

Today I do not want to be a doctor.

Nobody is getting any better.

 

Those who were well are sick again

and those who were sick are sicker.

 

The dying think they will live.

The healthy think they are dying.

 

Someone has taken too many pills.

Someone has not taken enough.

 

A woman is losing her husband.

A husband is losing his wife.

 

The lame want to walk.

The blind want to drive.

The deaf are making too much noise.

The depressed are not making enough.

 

The asthmatics are smoking.

The alcoholics are drinking.

The diabetics are eating chocolate.

 

The mad are beginning to make sense.

 

Everyone's cholesterol is high.

 

Disease will not listen to me

Even when I shake my fist.

 

 

TODAY I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR

 

Today I am happy to be a doctor.

Everyone seems to be getting better.

 

Those who were sick are not so sick

and those who were well are thriving.

 

The healthy are grateful to be alive.

And the dying are at peace with their dying.

 

No one has taken too many pills.

No one has taken too few.

 

A woman is returning to her husband.

A husband is returning to his wife.

 

The lame accept chairs.

The blind ask for dogs.

The deaf are listening to music.

The depressed are tapping their feet.

 

The asthmatics have stopped smoking.

The alcoholics have stopped drinking.

The diabetics are eating apples.

 

The mad are beginning to make sense.

 

Nobody's cholesterol is high.

 

Disease has gone weak at the knees

I expect him to make an appointment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...