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Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 26 May 2023, 22:40
by RamanathanSiva
I remember the two notebooks Appa
slipped into my pinafore pockets, one for adamant
spelling, the other for phrases and idioms.

‘Don’t try to pull my legs’, is not the same as
pulling the teeth, so I turn to Sushruta--
I learn about ancient Ayurveda, about physicians
being poets first, how they watched the heads of birds
to make dog-faced, tiger faced, wolf faced, bear faced,
hyena faced, lion faced, crow faced, heron faced
forceps, how hammer, bone- saw, scalpel, nail- puller
lancet, sharp probe, tooth scaler (full caps) scissors,
sharp hook, awl, trocar, circular knife,
single edged knife, chisel, not to speak
of the suturing needle (they used ants for this,
live ants.)

‘Instruments were imagined for real pain.’

I kill my darlings, the cartoon of a calf elephant
pulling a string tied to a patient’s tooth,
and falling on its back.
























(for pulling the teeth you need your hands)

I start by killing my darlings
the calf elephant has to go first
the way I derided Ayurveda
I ought to feel ashamed. Sorry Sushruta.
600 to 700 years BC India had a sage doctor
who could do wonders besides making instruments
to pull the teeth.
I see that he has gone to nature to make these tools.
101 blunt, 22 sharp, so I get carried away,,,,
I should have known that we were the first even before the Egyptians
to delve deep into the human body with external help.

You must wait till I name my favorites
and only then can you understand why I decided to throw away
that pocket notebook that had phrases and idioms.
if you are a poet you can visualize how these would look like
if you are an IT person you can google Sushruta,
and the surgical instruments he invented.

I will not let you go until I have named some of these.
Maybe only one or two were used for pulling the teeth.
Hear now;
the dog-faced forceps
tiger faced forceps
wolf faced forceps
bear faced forceps
hyene faced forceps
lion faced forceps
crow faced forceps
heron faced forceps,

not to speak of the

hammer, bone- saw, scalpel, nail- puller
lancet, sharp probe, tooth scaler (full caps), suturing needle
(he used ants for this, live ants,)
scissors, sharp hook, awl, trocar, circular knife,
single edged knife, chisel,
for washing pus-rectal specula, for fistula in ano,
the same with side opening , vaginal speculum
rectal speculum for piles, also specifying
length and circumference.

I wanted to look into the pocket note book
the second one (the first was for adamant spelling)
I had maintained for phrases and idioms
but reading several papers I left the pocket book unopened.

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 29 May 2023, 21:50
by BobBradshaw
A charming piece. I like the soft, innocent image of the last stanza in contrast to the hard edged tools listed before.

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 23:31
by RamanathanSiva
This has been selected.

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 00:42
by BobBradshaw
Congrats

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 09:33
by RamanathanSiva
Thanks.

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 02 Jul 2023, 21:31
by RamanathanSiva
My poem , ‘Pulling the Teeth’ is published in Free the Verse ezine
https://www.free-the-verse.com/pulling- ... nd-phrases

Re: Idioms and Phrases

Posted: 02 Jul 2023, 21:36
by RamanathanSiva
Idioms and Phrases

Sivakami Velliangiri

I remember the two notebooks Appa
slipped into my pinafore pockets, one for adamant
spelling, the other for phrases and idioms.
‘Don’t try to pull my legs’, is not the same as
pulling the teeth, so I turn to Sushruta—
I learn about ancient Ayurveda, about physicians
being poets first, how they watched the heads of birds
to make dog-faced, tiger faced, wolf faced, bear faced,
hyena faced, lion faced, crow faced, heron faced
forceps, how hammer, bone- saw, scalpel, nail- puller
lancet, sharp probe, tooth scaler (full caps) scissors,
sharp hook, awl, trocar, circular knife,
single edged knife, chisel, not to speak
of the suturing needle (they used ants for this,
live ants.)

‘Instruments were imagined for real pain.’

I kill my darlings, the cartoon of a calf elephant
pulling a string tied to a patient’s tooth,
and falling on its back.
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