Pen strokes alternating to and fro.
A quick picture ebbed out gradually beneath currents of anxiety and distraction.
The artists attention drawn away from the illustration,
left idle on a forgotten page; overthrown by diagrams and structure.
Brief calls with family back home; updates with Mom on family friends. New acquaintances.
Newfound freedoms lead to newfound friendships;
lead to newfound errors of judgement.
Day to day excitement. Moldy dive bars, bright lights,
dancing. Evening glances fast forward to late night escapades.
Calls with family more mature of course,
things not quite true but understood none-the-less.
Medical education follows. Parents beam; supportive friends.
The sketching hasn’t ceased; now surrounded by scribbles on Krebs cycle,
plus assorted anatomical structures. Meticulous notes.
Meet someone in event at university. Soft kiss.
A graduate student, attractive and intelligent; mutually compatible.
An intuitive match. Approved by all; blossoms quick, effortless.
Late nights in school to late nights at the hospital.
Medical gossip and health emergencies. Human trifles juxtaposed with questions of significance.
Home late one evening. Ruffled scrubs and greasy hair.
Where were you? Working. I’m sorry. I know.
Discussion of marriage; a future together. Yes I think that would help a lot.
Ceremony in spring; officiant a friend from college.
The honeymoon. Exotic. Expensive. 3 weeks in Southeast Asia.
Residency ends. Role opens up at a university in middle America; they move.
Pet, house, child. Responsibilities at home not relieving responsibilities at work.
Spouse moving up at the university but still finding time to take daughter to daycare.
Never feeling content, but never losing perspective.
Fridge sprinkled with rough family portraits. Crayon.
Leave a Reply