Kristin Turner
Night Shift
Night Shift
When I think
And I think
And I lay awake
Thinking
I tell myself
A self-love chant
A tomorrow-is-another-day lullaby
Forgive the mistake
Remember the lesson
Forgive the mistake
Remember the lesson
Forgive the mistake
Remember the lesson
I wrap my arms
Around my pillow
And I create
My own warmth
Returning
As the needle left her arm
And her eyelids came to rest
I understood what it was to be human
Not to be morally right or wrong
Pure or polluted
Or blindly safe
To be human
Because despite the darkness
Her smile had been loud
And her eyes knew everything
—
Kristin Turner (@keturner9) is a recent graduate of Georgetown University who, as an aspiring healthcare provider, deeply values the synergy between the humanities and medicine. She is currently working at the Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore.