Today I sadly watched a patient die <br />Despite my efforts to halt his disease <br />He used his time on earth to beautify <br />His surroundings and put us at ease <br /> <br />His life was not unusual or grand <br />Yet he displayed nobility and grace <br />He sought no pity and made no demands <br />While equanimity he did embrace <br /> <br />His death was neither publicized nor known <br />Beyond his friends and his small family <br />And yet his dignity and courage shone <br />With brilliant light for all mankind to see <br /> <br />And so it is for us to understand <br />That though we do not always save the life <br />It is our task to weather and withstand <br />That which we cannot conquer with a knife<br /><br />Richard Lackman<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-surgeon-2/
