By Esther Park
I.
When I sat down at a new desk, in a new school, in a new country
I forgot my own name
Pencil boring into paper, I tried to remember
over the sound of my classmates scribbling away.
I looked out the window, anxious
At a bird in a tree. Then I realized
Birds don’t know their name
But that doesn’t stop them
II.
Musings of a geriatrician:
If you start with a glass half-full,
aging is about pouring that into a smaller glass.
III.
Do you know that I am watching?
When you sit there speechless
When the person who was an engineer
Can no longer count to 20.
Can you feel me hoping?
Together we stare at the paper
And I am willing you to think
of one more word that starts with H.
And I am willing you
to tell me what year it is — where are you now?
The bad news is shared
Your calmness makes me sadder
And the sight of your broken frame stays with me
Longer than you’ll know.
IV.
when I was in college I shadowed a surgeon
it was a lap chole
the most routine thing ever
but I was so excited I went home
and journaled about it
now cut this suture
Esther Park is a fourth-year medical student planning to apply anesthesiology. In her free time she likes to watch rich mom TV shows and try out Trader Joe’s seasonal items.