The Class of the Wounded
Author: Christian Yau, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Class of 2028
Contact Email: christianed.yau@gmail.com
Artwork: Despair by Edvard Munch
Published: 30th December 2023
This is the class of the wounded
when you walk in you see that
they are smiling and chatting
or perhaps revising
or buried in their phones
their lecturer is
the bubbly type
she is kind and animated
and is enthusiastic about the course
when she asks the first question
a silence fills the room
hands dangling in the air
they were the ones who loved themselves
when the class ends
they leave in pairs or clusters
in satisfaction
They are here on their own accord
they are the observers
hiding their wounds
to act as the kindness of strangers
answering calls of the most desolate souls
the most tired of them all
a seasoned psychiatrist
and shares her best stories
of unspeakable things coming to life
on depression and suicidal intent
layered with the deadly weight of
reaching for help
as they wished their loved ones did
they learn to smile again
with the realisation
that they are ready to be wounded again.
on leaving the mental health first aid workshop