INCISION

A friend is love at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity

I used to be your alter ego before this routine operation

You solicited for second opinion, weighed all your options

Before I wheeled you into the room, put you under the knife

'Tried to make it quick and painless as possible

Giving you enough time, so I prep well the location

I did say I would make a small precise incision

Just below the midline, may alter your facial outline

Going over your personal history; your high propensity 

Giving much consideration; your financial situation

So I waved my professional fees; a pro bono offer

Could have simply just wrote you a prescription

But a pill or dabble of salve would be meager

The lesion goes much deeper. The irregular contour

of the mole was suspiciously subtle

So I had to make a clean cut, just to see what else is under

The procedure was uneventful. We averted a more costly

 measure

For I saw how close it was for the cancer to have spread,

taken and ravage you over

But they were minor complication. It left a tiny visible

scar, slightly halfway above your mandible. When you looked

at the mirror. It dramatically changed your demeanor

You became irate, irrational and vengeful

You took upon yourself to exact your own retribution 

You sprayed lewd graffitis on my walled office

Broadcasting your disgust; shaking your fist

Threatening lawsuit and malpractice. You didn't stop there

You went farther spewing your guts, how rude was my staff

How bad you were mistreated

You rocked my once peaceful boat with waves after waves

of rhetoric rants and displeasures

Your preconceive allusion attracted much attention

and the Board threatened to revoke my license ...

by NeiL ArandA  02/10/2015

Author's Note

Marks of a Genuine friends is likened to a renown Surgeon

1. Sharpens - is someone that makes you a sharper person. Brings out the best in you. As iron sharpens another iron so a man sharpens the countenance of his friends. Real friendship will put an edge on your life.
On the contrary, false one dull your life, blunt your influence and drag you down. They approve and make it easier for you to do wrong.

2. Sticks - is someone that is staunch. You want to weed them out. Just make a mistake and see whether or not they leave you. Like a ship they'll ride with you when the sail is smooth and the sea is calm. When the weather gets rough they abandon ship. Real one will stick with you through thick and thin and no matter what the changing season bring.

3. Stabs - not back stab. Proverbs says : " Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the flatteries of the enemy are deceitful. "
A friend who really care and loves you will cut you if its necessary. That is, he will tell you the truth and won't give you hypocritical kisses when he needs to do a little spiritual surgery. A true friend care enough to confront and risk everything even to the point of offending you . Flattery is not true friendship but words of casual carefree acquiantance.

Reviews

[Dhaye]

I didn't made any comment here earlier so I will do it here first.

Based on what you have done in this piece, the title is about operation while the photo used is about friendship. Hmnn...I have nothing to do but to connect the relationship of the two.

I will just summarize my insights here...
A friend for the speaker is like a doctor who will do necessary "operation" in order to "cure" whatever "illness" his/her friends have. Sometimes the process is painful, but the result will be the best for the "patient".
I also believe that when you are a true friend and concerned with the people around you, you can tell them the truth even those will hurt them just to have the best result in the end.
Like in an operation, the process is painful...but the wound will heal soon.

Going back to the poem, it feels bad that the patient was not satisfied with the operation. The last part shows a broken friendship.

Thank you for sharing this, Neil.

[Sami Khalil]

Like a great surgeon, your disect friendship to its bare bones, to its true pulses and essential.components. You always delve deeper to get the message across and find the true healings...A friend that is just for gain, will not feel your pain. An excellent write...:).....

[NeiL ArandA]

Thanks brother Sami for dropping by... I'm glad you see the analogy between friendship and surgery. Thanks my good friend :)

[Sami Khalil]

Yep. You are welcome...:)......

[Frank]

I see a breakdown in communication, in the relationship I see justification and revenge and both not understanding the other's position. Love is involved, the most intense hatred comes from broken relationships that were intense in love or respect.

QUOTE for a poem of mine:
"broken hopes and broken dreams
broken love in terror screams"

For some, friendship is like a marriage contract and when it breaks down or does not meet their expectation, rejection can set off a trigger reaction. Why are most gun death found in the home?

The speaker shows how good he has been, how kind, how reasonable, this is one side and I don't doubt the honesty involved. The other side is manic, all reason has gone, so deeply has he been hurt. He sees the miniscule scar as planned, he sees rejection, and cannot handle it. His cure is not prayer and watchfulness, his antidote kills.

I read in another poem today, about a kiss being just a kiss, but to some that kiss is profound when the earth moves.

Sometimes the best way forward is silence from both sides.

Silence doesn't inflame, silence makes no excuses, silence is not rejection, silence gives time for healing.

Like a very deep poem I read today, this one too is very deep and can occupy our minds for a long time.

[NeiL ArandA]

Be back for this Frank . I'm behind with yours . You got six new ones. I'll be back this evening. Thanks my friend .

[gabrielle]

Just a thought.... if a pro bono patient/client could be so tacky, should we expect worse from a paying client? A patient has the right to know all the medical procedure to be done on him. In this piece, it appears that the original procedure was only to remove a mole but the doctor, in his own volition, went further by removing a cancerous cell (?). The surgeon may have the best intention but the question is: did the patient give consent to the said procedure? I guess, there’s never a guarantee that our best intentions will always be taken positively.

The authors note reminded me of my nanang’s words: “Ti napalalo nga panagdayaw, nalimed nga panag-uyyaw.” Oh, have I told you that i find your works so ordinary? (lol..just kidding, Neil :)

[NeiL ArandA]

Dear Gab ... sorry for the late reply . This piece is still in editing mode . But I think I'm satisfied with my final touches . I changed some wordings here . Tragic to routine . Campaigned to solicited. Steadfast to staunch . Add a word Pill in the sentence . I read and reread it to see if more editing is needed . Now I think I can focus and concentrate to answer the comments and reviews made . I will reply to your review and comment thoroughly .

[NeiL ArandA]

Your honor I think I have explained well to my patient the full ramification of this supposedly simple operation on second stanza third and fourth line. In first stanza your honor second and third line. I did gave my best professional opinion as to the extent of the patients presenting signs and medical symptoms. Good thing I have malpractice insurance for such time like this . :) I hope the court and the Board would rule in the surgeon's favor.

[NeiL ArandA]

Ordinary writing ? Yes Gab ...some unforeseen force or event did altered my writing style a little bit. To try something different. I can take and use any muse that would intrude and present itself. Good or bad, Happy or sad. In love or in-despair. I can use all that.