You are the claimer of lives every day and night:
You plague on until all life is completely gone.
But worse, you steal purpose from those lost in the fight.
To me, you are a traitor and a sordid thief.
We share ancestry, yet you rot them from within.
You hoard life as if it only belonged to thee.
Yet, I thank you for the impotence you gave me–
You showed me the mystery that comes from within.
An enigmatic spirit that has set me free.
I wage war on you for you have let my eyes see;
I respect you, for you hold true to your decree.
But, I fight for those who lost purpose to your creed.
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
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Pompeyo is a fourth-year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Formerly, he was a medical student researcher at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the department of clinical cancer prevention. He is a former trainee of the medical student summer fellowship program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and of the Cancer Prevention Research Training Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He attended The University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology with a concentration in neuroscience research. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, salsa dancing, and writing poems. After he graduates from medical school, Pompeyo will be a Resident-Physician in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.