Comfort Measures

From the moment we are born, We are dying— But it doesn’t seem to matter Until someone gives us a reason to doubt We will wake up tomorrow. Then we are afraid to fall asleep, Every blink feels like a kiss of lidocaine (2%, with fear) Are we still breathing? (For how long?) In that […]

On Dying

A university student takes a picture in front of the fall foliage with a peace sign and a gleeful smile during his weekend hike Depending on what colour the leaves are, if they’re on the trees or on the ground how long they’ve been there His picture speaks of the dying process […]

Order

What is it about a messy house What is it about skipping the gym for one day What is it about not talking to him at the time of night you usually talk to him What is it about missing lunch yesterday What is it about not showering in the morning What is it about […]

Once More

It drips down my throat Warm Familiar Unbroken Drops of Ambrosia It is my answer Drowning Smudging Washed-out Grey days It holds me Gently Sinking Quietly My last refuge I wake Bright lights Sharp corners Scattered glass I trudge Back To the real Living Rhythm I insist This Will be the day I breathe But […]

Never Take Them for Granted

Anatomy is a cornerstone of medical education. As such, thousands of medical students have passed through anatomy labs over the past decades and centuries. During my second week of medical school, I had the privilege of stepping into the anatomy lab for the first time. Saying that I was overwhelmed, would be an understatement. My mind […]

What is Wrong with Me?

What is wrong with me? I wake up and I am more tired than the day before. I can feel my body getting thinner and weaker and I don’t know why. I start getting confused sometimes and I can see it is tough on my family. What is wrong with me? I came to the […]

In Moments

I was good with patients, I could put them at ease, likely because I was only interested in putting them at ease. So I’d introduce myself, sit back, and start a conversation. I’d open my eyes —not just the lids themselves, but the meaning, the world behind them, to open myself —an invitation to engage in an attempt […]

Dance on Clouds

By Beatrice Preti, c2017 We had finished the OR list early that day, and I’d run to the university library to find some books. As I was walking towards the check-out desk, I tripped over my own feet (typical me), scattering the books everywhere. A boy nearby helped me collect what I now realised […]

I

Poetry by Anthony Sandre, c2018 I have no plan; no agenda, no timeline and no plan. I feel civilization crumbling away beneath me, I feel my mind leave my physical body. I release all inhibition and bare my soul for the world to see. I feel the eyes of others, hungry to steal away […]

Grieving While in Medical School

By: Emma Herrington, c2018, Hamilton Campus My father took his own life five months into my training as a medical student. His death was public; photos of the scene were shared on twitter before I even knew. On the morning of his death, I was working at my family medicine placement in Burlington. At the […]