Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings April 2014, Volume 27, Number 2 | Page 87

Mentoring: a tale of two poems, filling graveyards, and
learning the art of medicine
Clyde Partin, MD

Polar approaches to mentoring are reflected in this pair of poems, which
on first inspection appear to be unrelated. Mentoring comes in different
forms, and combining medicine, mentoring, and poetry in one essay is an
opportunity to explore the vital role mentoring plays in medical education.
A nod toward the humanistic side of medicine is also illuminated by the
selected poetry and associated discussion.

his essay reflects on two poems that initially seem unrelated and unconnected, but upon further scrutiny
demonstrate complementary ideas about teaching and
mentoring in medicine. The first poem, “The Surgeon” by
Alicia Suskin Ostriker (1), tells the story of a surgeon reminiscing about his internship and a red-headed young woman who
unexpectedly died in the midst of surgery. The second poem,
“The Ropes” by Kimberly Manning (2), renders a more personal
teaching experience. The first poem is from the viewpoint of the
mentored, and the second, f &