Look Like

Look Like

You're my doctor?
You've got to be kidding.
You look like—
I have socks that are older than you.

And then, none of it mattered:
the years,
the degree;
your differential diagnosis

methodically constructed,
the papers I stayed up reading
or how much I cared.
Instead, you turned

to my intern
and asked, what is the plan?
And I wondered,
what should I do to look like a doctor?

Grow a beard, wear high heels,
or buy pretty scrubs
under a fitted white coat,
methodically constructed.

If I don't look like a doctor,
how can I be a cardiologist?
Wear a surgeon's cap;
deepen your voice.

What should I do to look like a cardiologist?
Add "DOCTOR" in big block letters
below the badge
that already says MD.

How many MDs should I wear
to look like a cardiologist?
One more than
I will ever have.

Still, no matter what I
look like,
here to help you is what I
am.

Look Like
Christine P. Shen, MD

This poem was authored by Christine P. Shen, MD, a cardiovascular fellow at Scripps Clinic. Twitter: @iconsideritjoy.

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