j.lewis Verse-Virtual 2018 November

November 2018

Author’s note: I recently posted a photo of the full moon to my online account, and a poet-friend responded with “That looks like an ultrasound!” Since I am often prompted by such spontaneous comments, and since I have been in the medical field for more than 35 years, it was only a hop, skip, and a creative leap to a poem. When I shared my moon poem with the person who inspired it, the response was “Oh! I was thinking of the moon as a “she” getting an ultrasound.” And that led to a second poem, from a completely different point of view. Lunacy? Probably.

the man in the moon gets an ultrasound

history of present illness:
round-faced male, brought in by cloudless skies
presenting complaint—persistent headache
admits to receiving multiple blows to the face
remote onset, exact date unknown,
most recent occurrence earlier tonight
before he walked up the eastern stellar stairway

physical exam:
external tissue of rubbery consistency
uniform dullness to percussion
no neurological deficits are elicited
movements are slow, but steady and consistent
as though animated by internal will alone
multiple healed scars, consistent with history
patient also states that his vision occasionally
goes completely dark, but resolves spontaneously
without residual weakness or sense of spinning

differential diagnoses:
closed head trauma
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (though he denies
ever playing for the nfl or the new zealand all blacks)
elder abuse must be considered, despite no located family
cannot rule out self-mutilation, however unlikely

plan:
first recommendation would be for ct-scan
but given the size of the patient's head
our machine will not accommodate him
ultrasound ordered and performed
with the following findings:

penetration into tissue is insufficient
to show the center of the cranial mass
but does reveal multiple densities embedded
within the outer layers, some intact, spherical
others fractured, with significant displacement
color flow doppler indicates total absence
of fluid movement in any quadrant

discharge diagnosis:
repetitive facial trauma, occurring over millennia
wounds healed by secondary intent, as there is
no evidence of suturing or stapling

prognosis:
based on history, exam, and patient's continued
slow but steady pace, anticipate he will experience
additional facial trauma, without evidence
that such trauma will be the proximal cause of his demise
expected lifespan is unknown

report dictated at ten-twenty pm, september 24th, 2018

in the moon's soft womb

listen to the pulse, feel the pulsations of
placental flow bound to the rhythm of earth tides

how long, mother luna, have you held this secret
that now pushes you, stretches you with wonder

how much longer can you hide this new beginning
from father sun, sister earth, cosmic cousins

i watch you from the darkness of an empty field
and marvel at what every mother must see in you

the blurred and hinted outlines of life unfolding
where men, my man, would see in you a cartoon face

i picture sonic waves bouncing joyfully across ridges
deep into craters, across named and nameless seas

reflecting both an inner and an outer glow
one that women know. one all women surely know

let others, unsuspecting, smile at your radiance
then go about their busy ways tonight

i will sit and wait with you, hopeful and content
to know the whispered revelation
behind the phrase "full moon"

Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to tell him or her. You might say what it is about the poem that moves you. Writing to the author is the beginning of community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -FF