Ode to the White Coat
There is a coat, I learned way back when
Its color is white, its length would depend
I donned it with a mixture of fear, joy and sorrow
It covered my body all night and into tomorrow
This coat gave me strength when I knew not a thing
And it weighed me down incredibly in times of mourning
The stains of life it protected me from
Its whiteness was all just an illusion for some
For clearly it was no longer blissfully pristine
After years, the coat has acted many a scene
Days of wonder, nights of heartache
Often center stage without a second take
New life to hold, a bundle of love
Gave passage to others, gentle as a dove
The mystique of the coat would induce a level of awe
A feeling of power, above any law
In others a more humble sentiment took
Revealing true compassion found in no book
And then for a few, and only a few
It became a reminder of times we never knew
A portal through which one could see a perfect view
Of when life was good, bad and terrible, too
A coat with a past, present and future it seems
Heralding young men and women into a dream
Symbolizing more than a moment in time
It bridges the years, in ways so sublime