Interrupted

By: Lindsey Thomas

Louisiana State University, Class of 2012

He ambles toward the door

A picture of lazy confidence

Until you see his troubled eyes—

Kaleidascope images fenced.

I can’t seem to speak,

To swallow that selfish pride,

To tell him to STOP! WAIT!

We both bottle our hurt inside

Then: A phone call, a gasp,

Everything blurs,

Can’t move fast enough,

At only myself I curse.

Wringing hands, fervent prayers,

I shouldn’t have let him go!

Curves and bridges and curves,

Ice, sleet and snow…

Smell of sterile, of fear,

I can’t seem to stop the cold;

A muted television,

Stare blindly at magazines old

Why are they smiling?!

Don’t they know??

Why will the world not stop

Or even slow?

Minutes are years,

Every footstep is a drumbeat

Then the white coat enters—

We all rise from our seats.

There’s no need to speak

His red-rimmed eyes tell

Please, please wake me!

If it’s not a dream, it’s hell

Send me away, I won’t even breathe

Until he smiles again

Beauty is sarcasm, all colors gray

Without my love, my best friend

Every song, every scene

Memories crumple my soul

Maybe (just maybe) if I lay still long enough,

I will fade out, wake in his arms,

And again be whole.

2010

Musings of an Entrenched 4th Year Veterinary Student

By: Misha Neumann

University of Illinois, Class of 2011

• For me, the 1^st day of a rotation, is the worst. I tend to have the unfortunate luck of staying well after hours and get the emergencies
• Why oh why do I always get the crazies? (both animals and owners)
• It’s really hard to talk to an attractive client face-to-face without sounding like a total idiot
• Why am I required to wear nice professional clothes when I just put a dumpy labcoat over them?
• It never fails that as soon as I hand-bleach the heck out of my labcoat, I get it mucked up, due to no fault of my own
• There isn’t a day that goes by where I almost walk out the door and never look back
• It only takes a sweet animal or an appreciative word to make it all worth it.
• I admit it.  I’ve dance in the Equine wards at 3am with my hoodie up and my iPod blastin’.
• I am very thankful that I am not one of the unlucky souls who have found poop in my pocket.

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Colorfully Creative!

By: Lynda Mason

University of Florida, Class of 2014

Check out more of Lynda's artwork at http://www.horseofadifferentcolorart.com

"Candy Course"

"Fallen Idol"

"Road to Nowhere"

Savannah Sunrise

By: Carissa Hersum

Class of 2012, University of Minnesota

The Vet School Blues: Why not dance?

By: Emari Yokota

University of Florida, Class of 2013

All my life I have been dancing. What a feeling it is to have the weight of the world upon your soul with one song and realize the frivolity of life with another. My body thirsts for movement; my soul requires the deep reverberations of the bass shaking me to my inner essence. The call of rhythm like the pounding of my heart, begging me to abandon my brain for just three minutes of the day. Nothing matters but the music. My consciousness is abandoned, for now there is no use of it. I only need to let my energy to flow out of my chest, my finger tips, and my feet out into the atmosphere. Ah, the melody, throwing my body up and down and spiraling in a controlled anarchy. 

My solace, my escape, my rejuvenator, my love: Dance.