Anatomy: A Cadaveric Poem
Anatomy is more than flesh and bone and blood. / It’s more than the donor and the scalpel teaching the student.
Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Anatomy is more than flesh and bone and blood. / It’s more than the donor and the scalpel teaching the student.
good morning, i’m the medical student / i must ask how you are feeling / even though my eyes already sting
Borborygmi: Rumbling or gurgling noises made by the movement of fluid and gas in the intestines.
A fog of emotions blankets the waiting room / Stress and anxiety, with some impending doom.
There is a straight line from / ordering an ultrasound to obtaining / clear cylinders of red blood cells.
Every town — / We’ll say it could be any town, / until it has affected every town
It’s amazing how in three years / How much you grow / As a person
Where do I begin? / Skimming her list of diagnoses, my eyes are drawn to her pancreatic cancer. / Confused, I glanced back at her age / I was not mistaken, she just turned 49.
American pride — from our pride we should hide, / for it’s caused us to hate, despise, and decry
Deadlines rush on, relentlessly. / Another email signed, / “Best regards.”
Studying blood clots / While I sit for hours on end / Affixing my own.
You’ve taken everything / Nothing is left