I trace a finger
antonio munno 3×2 SUO
Two cases, my patients.
Circle two people,
He, elbows on my desk
Head cradled in his hands
Remembering her –
Dead – cradled in his arms.
Four months before: breast cancer.
She remained unknown to me;
After her death he moved
Back home, to grieve.
When we met that first time
Three weeks ago
He rubbed his palm across his chest
And tugged
To show me where the food got stuck.
He hadn’t time while she was ill
To think about his health,
He said.
Other writing competition entries
- Winner – Dr Samuel Finnikin: I hope that when you are dying, you can rely on the NHS to be there
- 2nd place – Dr Dominic Hennessy: I love my job but it’s making me sick
- 3rd place – Dr Mabel Aghadiuno: Going beyond the call of duty
- 4th place – Dr Nishma Manek: We help shape lives
- 6th place – The results of my fact-finding mission
- The best of the other entries
- Under 35s winner – Let’s make general practice great again
And so today
Our silences, our gaps,
Punctuate
The retelling of his story:
Endoscopy, biopsy, result, review.
Choked with grief, choked with cancer
Head cradled in his hands
Remembering
Her.
I trace a finger
Circle two people.
Two lives overlapping
With a third
Their GP.
Dr Antonio Munno is a GP in Kempston, Bedford.
