The Resolution.

Another year, another resolution
Dry out January
That was a tough day
Change of job, a new challenge
The scalpel cut deeply through the chest cavity
Maybe the year to find love, maybe
So many choices, so many
The scalpel cut deep, too late
The patient was lost
A long break
Different country, new start
The drink would help the choice
So steady as the bottle emptied
The scalpel cut deep, advanced signs of liver cirrhosis
The surgeon assisting was in awe at the dexterity of the liver being removed
The signs were staring back at him
The warning stark
He pondered it over a bottle of Chivas
The operation would last ten hours
The hospital was lucky to have such a prestigious surgeon
The scalpel cut deep
Four hours in, the sweating and trembling began
The vessels were clamped off
The bathroom break soothed as the whisky hit home
The operation continued
The  drink breaks also
Finally finished he excused himself and left
The trip home left him physically shaking
The whisky hit home
Calm now, he went through the operation in his head
The patient was responding, the team were pleased
Something was gnawing away at him
He just couldn’t pinpoint what it was
The whisky had done its job
He was calm
It had been a long day
The pager sounding brought him round
The nagging doubt as he phoned the hospital
The patient wasn’t responding
The patient, the patient, always the patient
The clamps, he couldn’t remember
Did he remove them
He started to shake
The whisky calmed him
The pager sounded
The bottle stared back at him
Time for a change
A new challenge
A long break
The decision was made
He would drink to that

Reviews

[Lyrically Inclined]

Dry out January lasted a day! Funny how true resolutions last. My ex brother in law, while rolling a joint and studying to be a doctor, was telling me about how many (all) doctors at his hospital were cocaine addicts! He was paying his way through school by selling to them! Shook me to the core, at the time.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah, cocaine seems to be the posh hit now.
But like every hit, it becomes like breakfast cereal.
You tend to take it every day.

[The Iron Horseman]

Well, that's it for me. I'm not going anywhere near a hospital in future, unless I'm unconscious, of course.

I was once sat in a barin LA at 3 a.m. with an airline pilot so drunk that he kept slipping off his stool. When he told me that he was flying out at 5 a.m. I couldn't believe my ears! Trains suddenly became very appealing!

Love the dark humor with the soul-searing message. Right on the nail, as usual, my friend.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah strangely enough. Two pilots were jailed here not that long ago just for that reason. It's the trust you put in people.

[The Iron Horseman]

Yes, that's usually what gets you killed!

[barleygirl]

This is a wicked topic, almost too real & too harsh to write about in such a nonchalant way! I find it amazing how you pick an attitude, whatever attitude (always bizarre & unexpected) for one of your stories . . . it's not so much what you choose to write about, the details are vivid, etc. But it's that twisted mind of yours that manages to pick some off-the-beaten-path attitude that changes everything. Your relatable story becomes even more relatable, but kinda in a ghastly way, becuz you say what most people won't go near. And you say it so matter-of-factly. It's a mind-twisting experience to read you & I'm always wishing I could be as outside-the-dots as you often are! By the way, a friend & also a bro-in-law had liver transplants & it takes a helluva lot longer than ten hours. I believe this could be pumped up a bit in your story, to show an even more convincing reason why this doctor needs to drink, becuz tying off all those miniscule vessels & veins is mind-numbing tedious work, unfathomable work, & this alone could be a reason for sympathy . . . but I suspect most would simply skewer him severely for being so unacceptable as a drunk surgeon! *sigh!* Fondly, Margie

[Paul Bell]

Hey Margie, who ended up in hospital just after writing this. I got hit with some weird infection, that didn't respond to paracetamol and whisky. Lost 12 pounds in four days. Told the doc i should be bringing out my own weight loss vidio. They cant seem to find anything, so i'll put it down to bad luck.

[barleygirl]

Sorry to hear about you getting sick. I was wondering why I didn't see your usual prolific postings here as much, but then sometimes I fade, so I'm not sure who's missing out? Anyhow, I hope you feel better & stay svelte! *smile* Fondly, Margie

[Einstein Noodle]

the addiction to alcohol is huge...its costs to societies and persons irreparable ... once gone ..the cells of the brain are gone for good ... horrifying to think how many people in positions of trust with the public are drunk .. walking, talking, waking drunks ... moderation is good for our health...everything else is not ... i hope your inspiration to write this is not a personal experience my friend ... the other thing that i see brought out in your poem is how easily Doctors can be fired from one institution, maintain their licence, move to another location and practice all overt again..none for the wiser ...the way the Catholic Church (use to?????) handled pervert priests .. you found a strong voice in this one Paul .. well done
E.

[Paul Bell]

Yeah alcohol is rife in everyday life now.
Know what i would do with perverts. Just shows you how they move around. Who would have thought of world charities, the mind boggles.

[Einstein Noodle]

:(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

I’ve watched doctors like this perform surgery day after day. Your poem is nightmarishly authentic. Each vivid line desperate, manic, stark. You deftly draw a portrait of A man on a hamster wheel of addiction. And his patients are just collateral damage of the alcohol. If you want to know the truth about a doctor, talk to the nurses that work with him! Great poem Paul!

[Paul Bell]

I would imagine you've seen it all.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, i agree with Lydi.....horrifying when someone's life is in the hands of an alcoholic surgeon...
j.

[Paul Bell]

Especially if it all goes wrong.

[Lydia Shutter]

A horrifying tale if you ask me. A surgeon who must drink to calm his nerves before and after surgery....not one I would want operating on me for sure. Quite the resolution....to drink to anything and everything. A sure way to end up in a downward spiral. Well written. Lydi**

[Paul Bell]

You know it happenens.

[Mrudula Rani]

Are you a doctor Paul, moonlighting as a poet? What a complete description of the procedure you have given here.
The way this doctor is going about drinking and delving into the patient's body ... soon he is going to run out of countries to practice medicine!

[Paul Bell]

Prestigious surgeons are always in demand. lol

[Mrudula Rani]

You mean the ones that don't drink during surgery ?

[Paul Bell]

Yeah, I think they're in demand too.

[Mrudula Rani]

Next poem is about pathologist who does autopsies while chain smoking ( I do know some one personally) .

[Paul Bell]

Think I've done a couple of them. lol

[Mrudula Rani]

Autopsies????

[Paul Bell]

Poems of autopsies. It's the rage around November time.

[Mrudula Rani]

I believe you can still resurrect them .... the poems, stitching in words does wonders

[Paul Bell]

You just want to see that V sign. lol

[Mrudula Rani]

As long as it means peace.

[Paul Bell]

It does, he's dead.

[Mrudula Rani]

For heavens sake it is only Monday.... keep him alive till weekend .