The Elixir for Flowers

Nicole Carolina Stone, MS1

I sat on the other side of the desk when our paths merged. Completely unaware, in my naive age, that I could not hide my fear, For you had seen it in other eyes before.

And for all your experience and wisdom,

You knew this as you gently held my wounded spirit like a seed, Planting it,

Watering me patiently,

Nurturing me until I was ready to break earth.

And when I felt well enough to bloom,

I looked to you for guidance.

For a sacred moment, you paused.

Ready to cement my destiny,

you reassured me

That I had been the gardener all along.

When I am at a loss,

I imagine you looking down on me now.

And I look up,

seeing the clouds like nebulous thoughts.

Sifting through them, with fingers looking for answers to grasp, I attempt to pluck out your most appropriate sliver of wisdom. Sorting through the haze for a shard of light,

long ago tucked away in my mind.

A game of probability,

Of what you would say.

But you do not speak.

And I realize that this is your final teaching

As I return my gaze

to the dirt path ahead.

I tread on,

Equipped with a watering pail,

A shovel,

Gloves.

To water seeds and tend them,

Leaving many blooms as I pass,

Never forgetting

That you watered me first.

- n.c.s.

About the Author:

Nicole is a first-generation Venezuelan-American in her first year of medical school at Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. The vibrant communities within Miami have always been her home and she attributes the privilege of becoming a medical student to the collective efforts of her community. She is interested in Neurology and hopes to explore the interactions between neuroimmunology and development. Additionally, Nicole enjoys reading and writing. She and her two passions – medicine and stories – make a cramped but happy trio.

About the Work:

The Elixir for Flowers is a short poem about the influence of mentorship and human connection. Elixirs are sometimes referenced as providing eternal life, and while la Madre Tierra teaches us that all things are transient, the sacred privilege to influence the lives of our patients and peers can have a lasting impact in the time we are here. In an eternal metamorphosis, old leaves are shed, and new ones sprout upon receiving the right water, temperature, and light. This nourishment of both the body and soul was my first-hand experience and the way I was thrust into the world of medicine. I met the physician who would become my mentor as his patient. Because of his care, and later, his mentorship, I have made it my life pursuit to immerse myself in the science and art of what makes us human. I am beholden always to him for his example of humanism in medicine, which I would not be here without. He passed away suddenly in September of this year (2022).