Joonas Väre’s poem, Like a Mountain Over a Mine, conveys the weight of responsibility felt by a young doctor as he shoulders the hopes of his patients. The imagery is profound, likening their trust to the looming weight of a mountain poised above fragile supports a powerful metaphor for the tension between duty and vulnerability in the medical profession. The poem evokes the eerie stillness found in places burdened by silent expectations, where words remain unspoken but understood.

The lines about becoming “a machine fixing a machine” resonate with the emotional toll of caregiving, reflecting the tension between clinical detachment and the human heart at the center of the profession. Väre’s nuanced portrayal of a doctor’s journey where human touch and tradition collide with the realities of relentless care strikes a poignant balance between technical precision and deep compassion. This brief but potent work leaves readers with a heightened awareness of the resilience required in the face of others' expectations, and the unspoken courage that defines the healing profession.