One never knows what adventure awaits when following the insistence of a Primary Care Doctor. so, unbeknownst to me, one week I arrived at the Poplar Level Road office of Theodore M.Wandzilak, M.D. prepared to spend a quiet Wednesday morning for an eye exam.
Handing the required new patient questionnaire back to the receptionist, I mentioned how striking were the two framed photographs hanging on the wall behind her. They had a Florida sunset feel and I am a big fan of Florida sunsets.
“Yes they are very nice,” she replied.
Our conversation was interrupted when my name was called and I was ushered down the hallway to the examination room. On the way, I noticed more large, framed photographs on either side of the hallway and said to my guide how attractive they were.
“Our Doctor takes a lot of fine photographs all over the world.” was his answer.
Concluding the preliminary exam, the assistant departed and I was left to ponder what kind of Doctor had taken those intriguing photographs.
Theodore M. Wandzilak, M.D. came into the room and after a firm handshake sat down at his desk, glanced at my chart, and said,” You are an artist. I paint watercolors.”
I told him I worked in oils and respected how hard watercolors were to use. I complimented him on his hallway of framed photographs.
He spoke of his latest interest in photographing arrangements of his seashell collection. Making a collage of the seashells he used tweezers to place the tiny shells into interesting designs.
He did not have examples of his watercolors on his cell phone, but his seashell example was amazing.
He put drops in my eyes and somehow our conversation turned to poetry.
I told him I wrote poetry and he mentioned he had written a book of poems.
“Just a minute. I have some books. I will be right back.”He left the room and returned in a few minutes, “Here, I will give you one.” he said.
“You can read some of it while the drops work,” he suggested and left again.
So there I sat, squinting down at a beautiful 8 ½” x 11”, glossy, 49-page book titled “The East Deck Motel And Selected Poetry”.
He wrote of traveling to many cities across the world and he wrote of his patients. In those minutes that I sat alone reading the blurry pages, I laughed and I cried. Some poets do that for you and this one did.
When he came back into the room I told him how much I liked what I read and that it was hard to read with drop-induced blurred vision.
He smiled, took the book, and read part of the preface to me. Then with a sigh remarked that he could not take time from his practice to promote the work. Someday, later in life, he would.
I left the office of Theodore M. Wandzliak, M.D, clutching my precious new book of poetry and feeling uplifted in having met a kindred spirit. but also feeling sad in knowing how difficult it is to become recognized as a poet in the early years and how patient you must become to wait for those later years to arrive.
Some poets make you laugh or cry. This one does both.
If you happen to like beat poetry or need a gift for someone who does, look up “The East Deck Motel and Selected Poetry” by Theodore M. Wandzilak, M.D. It is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And if you laugh and cry after reading its pages, give it a glowing review. That’s the applause all poets need while waiting for those later years to arrive.