Emergency Department Cubicle 2b

By Laura Webb

Scientific Statement

Presented as pseudo-case notes, the poem tells the stories of several patients who occupy the same Emergency Department cubicle throughout a day. I explore their emotional experiences using poetic forms rooted in physiology. Sources of inspiration range from visible symptoms (blood drop/teardrop) to diagnostic tests (Snellen chart, heart monitor) and pathological processes (the cloning and mutation of cancer cells). 

The Emergency Department seemed the perfect setting for the idea because it is a liminal, transient space which never sleeps, always in a state of flux – like the human body itself.