"No Flies on Ray Kay" by Tom Janisse, MD

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Focus on Pediatrics:
••Winter 2002/Vol. 6, No.1

A Moment in Time

This poem was inspired at the 1991 Southern California Middle Management Development Program, where the physician and manager students listened to Dr Kay recount Kaiser Permanente history as a fly buzzed about his head. He showed us then, as he had in the past, the persistence of greatness in the face of adversitya message to help us now as health care changes. While this poem is on the lighter side, it attempts to capture, by contrast, the brilliance of Dr Kay.

I am honored that this poem was read, in 1995, at his funeral following his death at 93 years.

No Flies on Ray Kay
By Tom Janisse, MD

Ray Kay, a giant of health
fits in a small chair
sits low behind the table,
has the presence of an enormous stone
high on the rimrock.

A fly, no eagle, dives for his head
smooth for a soft landing,
as Ray explains how,
to a like group with wonder,
he started on a dream
against great resistance
but with patience and persistence.
Ray shifts mid-sentence,
the fly misses, dives again,
shift, miss.
Dive, shift, miss.
Ray, at 89, smiles softly,
he's faster than a fly.

The fly dives buzzing in his ear
nearly crashing in a tuft.
Ray swipes his hand before his face
muffling words about Sid and Irv.
Ray, so mildly annoyed
but with a large smile of new purpose says,
"I'm going to kill that damn fly!
If I can catch him."

Dive fly.
Swipe, swipe!
Ray dislodges his hearing aid,
now perched and teetering.
Disabled, he can't hear the buzz.
"Get the mic back, Irv.
I'll smack it!"

Ray readdresses the group
and chuckles undisturbed.
"Have to say I liked Henry Kaiser
though he took his shoes off."

After terrorizing the front row
of dutiful students,
the fly dives for Ray.
Ray shifts and smiles, says,
"He sure loves me
doesn't he.
That fly's going to feel bad
when we finish here."

Ray ends,
the crowd roars!
Ray Kay smiles triumphantly.

No fly
ever landed
on our Ray Kay.

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