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Grand Rounds

Martha Leslie, MD

1 August 1996 | Volume 125 Issue 3 | Page 204

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Women I notice that we
are by far minority
in this room full of men
with white hair
and good manners
Yet I do not feel challenged
to be more than these men are
inspired despite knowledge
of inevitable fallibility
and human fragility
the caprice of Providence
to be reckoned with in mornings and evenings and nights
alone
gentle in passing wounded souls
who have lost the arrogance
of perceived immortality
daring a glint of laughter in the eye
spark of protection against eventuality
early light for the bonfire of hope
equally required
by men with white hair
and good manners
and challengers to fate's
harsher standards

Author and Article Information

Top Author & Article Info

Stanford University Clinic Palo Alto, CA 94304-2205
Requests for Reprints: Martha Leslie, MD, Department of Medicine, Stanford University Clinic, 900 Blake Wilbur Drive, Suite W2080, Palo Alto, CA 94304-2205.

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