if you find yourself in medical school

this poem was inspired by a writing prompt and THIS AWESOME POEM by neil gaiman
It's still a work in progress, but I wanted to share it in the meantime...

Instructions (for what to do if you find yourself in medical school)

First, Don't Panic.

you need to know that it's okay to walk through doors marked

DANGEROUS! RESTRICTED! AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY!

even though you won't feel either safe or authorized, go for it

it's totally normal.

so walk through Door #1

put on a mask and a gown

your slippers

and a hat

only your eyes and hands are exposed for expression

and then you put on your gloves

you may start to feel like you've entered a wonky version of Cinderella's ball

but then you'll see spacemen and robots

through the glass window next to Door #2 

(marked RESTRICTED ACCESS!)

Walk in.  Backwards. Without touching anything blue.

Your nose may start itching at this point.

Whatever you do, DO NOT SCRATCH IT.

or you'll have to leave the room.

but if you stay a while

you may get to hold a beating heart,

use a saw to remove someone's dying leg

listen to someone's lung struggle to inflate

remove a tumor that's larger than all the organs inside the abdomen

give someone back her movement

his independence

their lives

be the first hands to hold a new person as she enters the world
the last hands he holds as he passes 

you may get to be the eyes that someone looks to when he's scared

when she's relieved

when he doesn't understand

when she's accepted  that death is coming soon.

and just when you think your brain (or your heart) is full

it's only just started

kind of like your bladder

(that's an inside joke that will make sense later on) 

BEWARE!
you will feel like you don't have any time

to walk outside

take a deep breath

say a prayer

jump in the shower

or call your mother

but you do and you should

because in this life, you will fall often -  

flat on your face, both literally and metaphorically
maybe into love

definitely off track (though you'll come back)

and into uncomfortable situations left and right

but despite how it feels

you are getting better at this.

and believe it or not,
you'll also find time to hike up mountains
you will see sunrises that most people miss
hear stories about why people make the choices they make
and how they came to be who they are

BUT WAIT!
I should tell you that you will also meet wonderful people

people you will depend on for your sanity,

whose eyes you can look for when you're unsure what your role is

when you don't know what to do

when you think you can't hold on anymore

and if you remember only one thing, make it this:
remember the magic
 even though you will understand all the underlying mechanisms,
take a moment to just breath, listen,
and revel in the world of wonder you have entered