I wrote this piece as a means of encapsulating the experience that many medical students are all too familiar with - maintaining the facade of infallibility. We are expected to be able to "handle" the stressors of medical school, only to be bombarded with a blame-based approach to "wellness" and resilience. In physics, the calculation of resilience takes into consideration the individual materials' coefficient - why are we not doing the same for human beings? We toe this line until we are riddled with exhaustion and anguish, only to fall through the gaps of flawed safety net.
THE TIGHTROPE
High above, suspended by a razor thin wire,
She sighs deeply, knowing what lies ahead.
Smile, her inner monologue berates,
A flawless visage for all to awe -
Every lash weighted into submission,
Every inch of skin, powdered and blended,
Every flaw carefully concealed.
The crowd roars as she glides across,
Mesmerized by the optical illusion,
Of An effortless mastery.
The gravity of burden exponentiates,
Its force inescapable,
Shattering the perfectionist veneer,
An imbalanced performer,
In a balancing act.
THE TIGHTROPE
High above, suspended by a razor thin wire,
She sighs deeply, knowing what lies ahead.
Smile, her inner monologue berates,
A flawless visage for all to awe -
Every lash weighted into submission,
Every inch of skin, powdered and blended,
Every flaw carefully concealed.
The crowd roars as she glides across,
Mesmerized by the optical illusion,
Of An effortless mastery.
The gravity of burden exponentiates,
Its force inescapable,
Shattering the perfectionist veneer,
An imbalanced performer,
In a balancing act.
