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| A grave, Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow |
A peasant boy
not content
to bow to circumstance,
no plough guided
by his steady hand
but that of scalpel blade,
Incision made
he opens up his mind
to medicine.
Art and science;
skills honed
on the scars of battlefield,
he becomes the surgeon.
The thoracic cavity,
a privilege to see within
what lies
beneath the human skin,
sternum sawn apart,
a pioneer,
he removes a growth,
repairs a heart.
The surgeon
not content
to bow to circumstance,
in death thrusts
forth his hands
grasps at the heart,
the heart of medicine.
Anna :o]
Tess’s prompt is that of a grave at Novodevichy Cemetery , Moscow
I knew nothing of him so researched and discovered he was an eminent Russian surgeon and that the Bakulev Scientific Centre of Cardiovascular Surgery was founded by him.
Unfortunately it is difficult to find much about Aleksandr as all entries found were either the same or abridged versions of his life history described at the Russia-InfoCentre – that is apart from a brief description given at Wikipedia – you can click on via Novodevichy Cemetery
Nevertheless – despite the brief history – his genius is obvious.
With thanks to Tess at The Mag for the inspiration.
Anna :o]
23 comments:
I like your poem about Bakulev Anna. I did the research as well but took it to a different place. I would have enjoyed reading more about him. Sounds like we owe him a debt for his research and pioneering techniques.
This is such a different take from anyone elses. I like the literal explanation of the sculpture. Your word choices and phrasing are very well done.
Beautifully penned ...
An excellent and original take on the image.
I like that you put meaning to the picture prompt, Anna. Well done!
Good, intriguing-character read; enjoyed this muchly. Also: next Sunday (and every Sunday following it, for the foreseeable future) I'm reviving the 3 Word Week writing prompts at the Reading & Writing By Pub Light site, if you (or anybody you know) are interested in participating in these weekly prompts.
And feel free to submit more work to the Microstory A Week site - I love working with consistent, excellent writers like yourself!
Bakulev would have been proud of these words; you’ve paid him a great tribute with these carfeully crafted lines.
Anna.
Your poem is a tribute to surgeons eveywhere.
Who ever designed this tomb-stone was insightful.
rel
Thank you for your welcome comments folks.
Steve ~ Glad to hear of the return of 3 Word Week - I have missed the challenge of it!
Anna :o]
I have had a few emails from good folk who are unable to leave comments. As this problem does not appear to be a 'Known Blogger Issue' I have changed comments from embedded to pop-up - hope this works.
Anna :o]
Beautiful tribute to Bakulev...
nice...you took this to another level with all your research...thanks for bringing his story to light and life...
Oh well done Anna! I read up on him too, but turned a different direction with my words. This is really beautifully done. I like the sharp rhyme (pun intended) and clever use of words. A very smart poem.
I love that you did the research...so cool. An awesome write.
Great dedicatory poem, Anna! It is unfortunate that not more is known in the West about this Russian great.
Wow, almost makes me want to become a surgeon.
Your poem educates us (well, me anyway!) and honours him. Beautifully written.
Beautiful work.
Thank you so much for your kind comments folks!
Anna :o]
So interesting. Great poem for a surgeon and fascinating to hear about a Russian one. K.
I took your excellent poem to mean the sculpture is on the actual grave of Bakulev. It really does express the surgeon's hands holding something precious, maybe life. We are raraly informed of the brilliace of any Russian as if they lived on a different planet so this poem does us a service!
I loved this take on the prompt. Your poem really opened up the image for me. And thanks for the background info also. Well done!
Thanks so much for your welcome comments folks - much appreciated!
Anna :o]
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