Off the Shelf, Poetry Thursdays
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Awfully Nice


Tears in her eyes
Puddles in a funnel of wrinkles
She fingers her golden ring

Isn’t it nice to miss someone?

She says for the fourth time in five minutes

It’d be awful to go through life with someone
And not miss them when they’re gone
It’s awful nice to miss someone. 

He’s alive
But the absence
Is the same as death
And she is a broken clock
Ticking between
The only two tracks left
Are you having any pain my dear?

Ohhh well… 

Her hands to her stomach

I don’t like to gripe…
I’ve had such a blessed life, ya know

Tiny sparkles in her eyes

Have I told you about my husband?


Poetry Thursdays is an initiative that highlights poems by medical students. If you are interested in contributing or would like to learn more, please contact our editors.


Chad Childers Chad Childers (3 Posts)

Writers-in-Training Program Director, Medical Student Editor and Contributing Writer

Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine


Chad Childers is a third-year medical student at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana (class of 2024). He received his Master of Bioethics from Harvard Medical School and his Bachelor of Arts in Medical Humanities from Indiana University, Indianapolis. He enjoys running, reading, and napping in his free time. After medical school, Chad plans to pursue a career in hospice.