the day of after and before

A Facebook friend posted a poem comparing election day 11/9 to 9/11. It reminded me of a poem I wrote back during my internal medicine residency, the 3 years of intense on-the-job training after medical school one has to complete in order to become a board certified internist. The poem describes how it felt to be a doctor that day. The day after the election, I had to perform a kidney biopsy and see my hemodialysis patients. It didn’t feel much different from the day of 9/11. But this day before Thanksgiving, I am trying to focus on being thankful that slightly more than half of voters voted for all of us and not for hate or just one issue.

 

MD 9 11

Human bombs

Exploding

Though I know no one

I ache

as if a part of me

is dying

My world’s fortress

Collapsing

While I move through

this day

Without so much as a missed calculation

And all at the speed of yesterday

Despite the numbness

of my body and mind

Display of emotion here

Equals weakness

And no one here

dares appear weak

Be strong

Or Mr. Smith dies

Be strong

Or Mrs. Brown cries.

Finally

They are all tucked in

For one more night (I hope)

Finally

I get a few moments

To see to myself

Finally

I get a few moments

To slow down

And so I sob out loud

My entire drive home

While all other eyes

Are on the road.

                                       —Me

                                                       9/28/2001