Midnight Supper

Jack Coulehan, MD, MPH

Current Author Address: Jack Coulehan, MD, MPH, 4 Townsend Court, Setauket, NY 11733.

The poem is being republished to correct an error that appeared in the 7 December 2010 issue.

Cold spaghetti and thirty two ounces

of Coke at midnight supper. A littered

foursome, in which the first announced

another hit to work up. The embittered

second stabbed his plastic tray with a pen.

The third intern shuffled through a stack

of index cards. His wife's father in Johnstown

had just died of cancer. The last attacked

a stale Portuguese roll with his fork.

Gears grinding, motors turning, but nothing

happening. The ozone-like smell of stale work.

Did they suffer from sleep deprivation?

Thirty-six on, twelve off. What a sublime

method of learning the value of time.

FULL TEXT

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