The Anatomy Lab

We filed into the classroom,
eyes wide, wondering what lay before us.
Cross-sections of brains and muscle
stood upright in their coffins of clear plastic,
lined up like tombstones along the walls.

We tried to ignore the smell of formaldehyde
and the creeping draft like a cold hand on our shoulder
coming from the doorway in the back of the room.
We tried to ignore its looming presence,
keeping our eyes straight ahead,

But it was always there.

It was inevitable.

We sat in our chairs, listening to the ticking of the clock on the wall,
Tick tick tick
wondering when our time would come,
Tick tick tick
when we would be led through that cold doorway
to see, finally, what really lay beyond.