(A poem by Dr Siddharth Warrier)
I went to a doctor for a headache; he
After much examination said,
‘It seems you suffer – what is clinically
Known as an aching head.
But before one makes such daring claim,
One ensures there’s no mistake!
For a head that ‘hurts’ is not the same
As a head that has an ‘ache’.
Your head can burn, your head can break,
It can poke or prick like a pin;
If you knew all the ways your head could ache,
Then your aching head would spin.
I’ve known of heads that have been said
To stab, and split and shake.
Indeed, you must be glad, your head –
Does nothing more than ache.
Some last for hours, some for days,
Some stay and others spread;
Some aches head off in different ways,
Others quietly lie in bed.
The Aam aadmi calls it a ‘sardard’,
The middle class say ‘my head is paining’.
The South Bombay folks love a fancy word!
They announce – my head is migraining.
For some, the headaches are a measure –
Of all the tensions in their lives!
Some blame it on blood pressure,
While most others blame their wives.
All doctors claim an urgent need,
To name which ache is which.
The only thing they haven’t agreed
Is how to name the bitch.
Even the neurologists are peeved,
Is it a symptom or a sign?
As a general physician, I’m relieved
That headache isn’t mine.’
‘Stop! This is a miracle!’, I said,
‘And surely there’s no mistake!
You’ve left me so confused, my head
Has forgotten how to ache!’
– Dr. Siddharth Warrier
Doctors' Ink 