I Never Want To Relive This Day Again Poem by Raymond Farrell

Today
As I sit
Under the locust tree
My heart is heavy
And my being
Is drained of energy
I was called
To the bedside of a child
Far removed from the sterile lab
The shining centrifuge
And the sparkling clear
Clean rows of test tubes
To consult and pass my opinion
The data, test findings, scan results
Combinations of herbs and drugs etc
Were laid before me
I examined them closely
After I considered all the material
A translator asked me
Was there anymore could be done
The child's mother sat by the bed
Her gaze fixed on me
She listened intently to the question
When I replied
That I felt
All options had been exhausted
She put her head
Face down on the bed
And wept bitterly
I never want
To relive
This day again.