Mary Oliver: Starfish
Starfish
In the sea rocks,
in the stone pockets
under the tide’s lip,
in water dense as blindness
they slid
like sponges,
like too many thumbs.
I knew this, and what I wanted
was to draw my hands back
from the water – what I wanted
was to be willing
to be afraid.
But I stayed there,
I crouched on the stone wall
while the sea poured its harsh song
through the sluices,
while I waited for the gritty lightning
of their touch, while I stared
down through the tide’s leaving
where sometimes I could see them –
their stubborn flesh
lounging on my knuckles.
What good does it do
to lie all day in the sun
loving what is easy?
it never grew easy,
but at last I grew peaceful:
all summer
my fear diminished
as they bloomed through the water
like flowers, like flecks
of an uncertain dream,
while I lay on the rocks, reaching
into the darkness, learning
little by little to love
our only world.
Discussion Questions
The narrator describes conflicting desires: to pull her hand away from the dark water & mysterious starfish that scare her, & to be willing to be afraid. Does this resonate with learning or teaching experiences you’ve had?
How does the narrator’s fear evolve over the course of the poem? Do you think she overcomes her fear or learns to accept her fear? How have you dealt with fear in teaching or learning?
What lessons can we take from this poem and “An Intern's Recollection of a Night at the VA, July 2004” as we try to build supportive learning communities?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“In our elective, after we read this poem, lots of discussion about learning to live with fear, and how in med school, with every block it comes back- fear of failing, of not belonging, of being overwhelmed returns and must be conquered all over again.’ —@michaelvitez
“As a pharmacist and educator, this poem says to me that I need to be willing to sit in the uncertainty and fear so that I can process it and learn and stretch my wings. Learning isn't always about being comfortable - sometimes it means being uncomfortable and doing it anyway.” —@rphteach
“It’s often in situations of discomfort that we grow. No one 'likes' discomfort, but part of being a learner (which is lifelong) is recognizing it is a natural and necessary part of the process.” —@rose_m_olson
“Interpreting conflict is actually one of the cornerstones of psychodynamic psychotherapy which we learn in residency. Helping patients work through their own conflicts has been one of the greatest challenges and joys of training thus far.” —ALelinMD
About this #MedHumChat
“Starfish” was paired with “An Intern's Recollection of a Night at the VA, July 2004,” a poem by Doug Hester for a #MedHumChat discussion November 11, 2019 exploring Learning.
This was a special joint chat with the Association of American Medical College’s (AAMC) Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS) which took place during the Learn Service Lead 2019: The AAMC Annual Meeting.
We were honored to be joined by special guests Anna Reisman, MD, Director of the Program for Humanities in Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, and Michael Vitez, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and Director of Narrative Medicine at Temple University's Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
The pieces for this chat, along with the discussion questions, were selected by Colleen Farrell and CFAS.
About the Author
Mary Oliver (1935-2019) was an American poet, winner of a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize. Her poetry is known for its imagery and celebration of the natural world, a major theme being the intersection of the human and natural worlds.