MD, Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Population Health. Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul - Emily Dickinson They say the things that finally break you Are the words caught in your throat, And she has years of thoughts not uttered Crammed in the pockets of her coat. A whisperer amongst a world That's learnt only to speak, Where silence must be broken For the proof that it is weak. But wherein lies the weakness Of keeping words held in your hand? When others listen to reply She listens just to understand. Surely it's strength when things unspoken Fill the room up to the brim, And she's the only one among them Who has taught herself to swim -e.h.