mom, what’s loo-skeem-ya?
oh okay — does that mean I’m loo-skeem-ya?
why are they poking me?
you mean they take a part of my bone?
but it didn’t hurt, did they have to break it first?
mom, what’s a bone marrow transplant?
wait — if they do that, does that mean I’ll change my personality?
I don’t want that.
well, what if I turn into the other person
‘cause I took a part of them?
did they have to die first?
I’m a robot. you know, ‘cause they gave me a port —
do you think I can charge your phone with it?
mom, you promised to take me to see a movie
can we go home yet? I’m tired.
well, you wanted to write a book about us. I don’t want to.
how about you write it for me?
Poetry Thursdays is an initiative that highlights poems by medical students and physicians. If you are interested in contributing or would like to learn more, please contact our editors.
Contributing Writer
Stanford University School of Medicine
Vivian is a second year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, CA Class of 2022. In 2017, she graduated from Stanford with a Bachelor of Arts in human biology with a concentration in global health and development. She then pursued a Fulbright in Uganda working on maternal and child health. She enjoys swing dancing, writing, and creating music in her free time. In the future, Vivian would like to pursue a career in psychiatry.