Required COVID Mandatories
Authors: Alexander Glaros
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Ad Libitum7 July 2020Required COVID MandatoriesFREEAlexander Glaros, MDAlexander Glaros, MDChildren's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan (A.G.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M20-2383 Audio Reading - “Required COVID Mandatories” Audio. Michael A. Lacombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads “Required COVID Mandatories” by Alexander Glaros, MD Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ SectionsAboutVisual AbstractPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Pause,just a moment,walking out the door.Leave your fear swinging from the coat hook.Remove your family from your mind.Bury them deep in your heart.Conjure shields and arrows to protect you on your way.Lick the inside edge of your mug for the last drop of caffeine.Survey the suitcase you've had packedin case the tests you ordered last week come back positive,and you spend the next fourteen days reading bedtime stories by phone.Glance in the mirror you hung near the threshold for final Cheerio checks of your hair,where you used to see laughing eyes and an Elmo spoon waving goodbye in the reflection.Touch your face, pinch your skin, seal your delusion:At least you don't have bruises circling your face like those doctors in Italy.Leave before he wakes up,so your tears don't wash away your finely crafted doublethink.Instead of brushing cereal from his cheek to give him a milky kiss goodbye,tiptoe into his room,sweep his sweaty hair to the side,wonder what his temperature would be if you could buy batteries.Kiss him gently on the forehead.Beat back the thought of his pacifier as an endotracheal tube,like the one your mentor had in his mouthwhen you looked at him through the glass and heard a man in a suit say behind you:“At least they're not suicides anymore.”Between his bedroom and the apartment door steel your soul with anger—At the virus.At the bottom line.At the misdirected gaze that fixed on bazaars and bodegas beyond the marginseven as chaos flowed over our walls,looking like us,palpating our arrogance,percussing our trust in the science of an other,planting its seed in our fertile disconnectedness.Its tendrils penetrated deep among us,creeping between the ancient roots of belligerent ignorance and self-serving silence,leaving you without a voiceto say with fear and fury and without shame,your son is more important than an oath.Your oath is immutable,its vice grip on your identity incontrovertible.In the dark recesses of your indoctrinated mind,find courage to formulate a silent prayer for help.Pause,steel your soul again,as out of the darkness there comes a whisper:“Don't go, Mommy.” Comments0 CommentsSign In to Submit A Comment Required COVID MandatoriesMinnesota State University of Moorhead Alumni24 November 2020 Roles Assignment Beautiful and moving. This is a very well written piece and captures such a profound perspective. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan (A.G.)Corresponding Author: Alexander Glaros, MD, Department of Pediatric Hematology–Oncology, Children's Hospital of Michigan, 3rd Floor Carls Building, 3901 Beaubien Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48201; e-mail, [email protected]org.This article was published at Annals.org on 19 May 2020. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement Audio Reading - “Required COVID Mandatories” Audio. Michael A. Lacombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads “Required COVID Mandatories” by Alexander Glaros, MD Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 7 July 2020Volume 173, Issue 1Page: 80KeywordsChildrenFearHand strengthHeartHematology and oncologyMouthSuicideTemperatureTouchWalking ePublished: 19 May 2020 Issue Published: 7 July 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...