Hearts that beat,
Turn into hearts that don’t.
Can emotion resuscitate
What electricity cannot?
A mother’s tears pitter patter,
On her son’s fading rays.
Within the chaos of the storm,
A sense of calm appears.
Stand clear.
The doctor shocks, the patient jolts,
Compressions resume and chaos ensues.
The boy’s rhythm still missing,
But ours establish another.
The doctor’s arms tire, so I take over.
His brave mask rips:
A fearful face of futility hides behind it.
The rhythmic lines flatten,
Resuscitation, a helpless prayer.
Life and death are but mere differences in pattern.
But for this mother, so much more.
Contributing Writer
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Tejus Pradeep is a third year medical student at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2016, he graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in cell biology and neuroscience and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He enjoys basketball, football, and tennis in his free time. After graduating medical school, Tejus would like to pursue a career in the field of ophthalmology.