Poet & Physician
But I Still Have My Fingerprints
Delivered a 10% prognosis for survival, Dr. Dianne Silvestri surrenders her white coat for a hospital gown and a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. With the help of her attentive medical team, family, and friends, she navigates the surreal world of chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, and subsequent threats from graft vs host disease and serious infections from weakened immunity. With a clear eye for irony and analogy and a commitment to curiosity and truth, she writes through her struggles and victories. She gives us poems with unique perspectives, fresh images, and unquenchable optimism, in her perseverance to redefine life beyond what was lost.
Dianne Silvestri
Dianne Silvestri is a graduate of Butler University and Indiana University School of Medicine. She was Associate Professor of Dermatology at University of Massachusetts School of Medicine until leukemia forced her retirement. She has studied poetry at workshops including Tupelo, PoemWorks, and Colrain, and authored the chapbook Necessary Sentiments. Her poems have appeared in Journal of the American Medical Association, Barrow Street Journal, The Main Street Rag, and Naugatuck River Review, among others. She is a past Pushcart Prize nominee and co-founder and leader of the Morse Poetry Group in Massachusetts. The mother of four and grandmother of nine, she enjoys gardening and ballroom dancing with her husband.
Featured Poems
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Not Doing the Impossible
“…but now after all these years squeaking….”
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Efflorescence
“…a few of us gather in a remote room at the rear of the empty….”
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Elder Care at Ninety-Six
“He spies me and purses pale peeling lips….”
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Meeting My Old Boyfriend after Thirty Years
“He phoned asking to meet for lunch.”
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Carwash
“…drifted into the gaping yawn to discover myself cruising through a stomach….”
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Half-Page Photo in a Magazine
“…a way for pedestrians to cross the mighty torrent….”
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Grandma
“…through the doorway from the sitting room I could see….”
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Melody on the Loose
“…absorbed memories into its trail with a cloying chorus….”
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Singing
“…music warbled through static….”
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Poem for My Namesake
“…It cost me decades to overcome…”
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Waiting Ghazal
“Over-exhausted from on-screen meetings, overrun with the diarrhea of news….”
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For My Son About to Become a Father
“…One birthday before you stood taller
than I…” -
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Next Patient
“…I pause, her voice warbles again…”
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Meeting My Stem Cell Donor
“…They kept your name from me for a year…”
Upcoming Events
Dianne regularly appears for readings and interviews at local bookstores, libraries, and festivals. Interested in attending and hearing her read her poems?
Testimonials
“A startingly wonderful book. I sat down to read a few poems and couldn’t stop till I’d read them all. Thank you, Dianne, for inviting us on your terrifying, hope-filled, unforgettable journey. And thank you for keeping your sense of humor (!) through it all.”
Linda A.
“Dianne’s poems lay bare all our vulnerabilities & spotlight her. . . as a person of generosity & truth, a writer with beauty in her heart & soul. This book is amazing.”
— Kerry L.
“None of us knows where life will lead us, so your positive message is a powerful one! Thanks for writing this wonderful book!”
— Marie H.
“Thank you for the reminder to be grateful no matter what state [or] circumstance I find myself.”
— Deborah W.
“Wow - the writing and imagery in this are beautiful!”
— Karen D.
““Started reading your book this morning! I am also learning medicine from the other side of the white coat. Your poems resonate!”
— Catharine C-S.
“Thank you for sharing this with all of us. It truly has inspired my life—and most certainly makes me not take for granted the gift of today.”
— Dori R.
“I felt compelled to continue from one poem to the next. I sat there and cried. Your words spur me to be more sensitive and supportive to people. ”
— Joyce H.
Beautiful collection of poetry. It offers such a vibrant window to your experience.”
— David A.
