VIP Referral
When a health system honcho asks me to see his thirty-year-old son “for a little anxiety” I can only agree. He arrives with a girlfriend, the couple dressed like characters from an Armani ad...
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When a health system honcho asks me
to see his thirty-year-old son
“for a little anxiety” I can only agree.
He arrives with a girlfriend,
the couple dressed like characters
from an Armani ad, both of them
sweating and twitching and goose-
bumped, ready for rehab but
begging for Oxy his dad promised
I’d prescribe for the weekend.
I’m sweating with them, wondering
how to stay loyal to my oath and keep
my job, so I let their sad story soften
me up, let myself wilt in the warmth
of their charm, the honcho’s red
power tie flooding my mind
like a flashback. I write the script
and lean forward to place it in
my new patient’s hand, mine
suddenly pulled back, tearing
the small square sheet into shreds.
Let’s start rehab now,
the dial tone on my speakerphone
steady and clear.
Disclosures:
Dr Berlin is Senior Affiliate in Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. E-mail: Richard.Berlin@gmail.com. His most recent collection of poetry, PRACTICE, is published by Brick Road Poetry Press.
