The Indian Association of Palliative Care celebrated this year’s World Poetry Day by publishing ‘A symphony of Words: A collection of poems‘ penned by our very own friends from the palliative care community. We continue to share a poem, each week, for our friends to enjoy!
The poem for this week, Poem #15 of 25..
‘The Feather Touch’ – A poem by Dr Satish G Prabhu, Kolencherry, Kerala
Eyes glued to
The distant horizon,
Face mask like
Devoid of emotions,
Lustreless skin,
The setting sun
Sending shudders
Down the spine.
The homeward
Bound birds,
Symbols of hope.
The solitary raven
Perched comfortably
On a rickety branch,
Contrasting symbols
Of life.
The silent night
The slow but steady
Grip of gnawing
Pain biting
Into the bones,
A gentle wind
A caressing hand
From nowhere,
The hand of hospice
The feather touch.
About the poet:
Dr Satish G Prabhu is a Professor of General Surgery and a Consultant, Paediatric Surgeon, MOSC Medical College, Kolencherry, Ernakulam District, Kerala.
To read poems from the entire collection, please click here.
Yes that feather touch means so much. While all of us have to journey across alone, until that moment it is perchance reassuring to be seen off and perchance experience the tactile one last time. Thank you for this poem.