Hanging On
The scent of illness, stifling and spoiled / Masked by antiseptics. / Beeps and murmurs, / A ceaseless, mocking choir.
Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Contributing Writer
University of Virginia School of Medicine
April is a member of the Class of 2020 at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia. She graduated from the University of Virginia with Bachelor of Arts in human biology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, eating tacos, and cheering on UVA sports teams. In the future, she would like to pursue a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
The Eternal: The Untouchable
What an endeavor it is: / To reach out and touch humanity.
Operational
Blood flakes / fall onto the /blue, sterile field from / crimson-smeared green / light grips.
Starved
She suffers from bouts of amenorrhea. / She masticates as often as the day is black.
Spring
The year turns four. / April weeps: the vootery / Of a heart too weak / To hold the stifling tears until December.
Afterthoughts on Palliative Care
His breaths are heavy when we walk in. / Abdomen distended: / a large, perfect half-sphere…
Twelve Weeks
Dr. Perkins explained to Elizabeth that she had three options: continue with the pregnancy and parent the child, continue with the pregnancy and pursue adoption, or discontinue the pregnancy and have an abortion.
There Is No Sound
There is no sound / like that of a heart breaking.
Yours Sincerely
This house was once full of life / Layers of warmth and affection. / A fireplace, the heart of all
Women With Notebooks
If you come into the hospital room before she arrives, you might miss the telltale signs of her existence. They are subtle — a soft sweater thrown over a chair for those drafty hospital wards or an absurdly expensive vegetable tray from the café downstairs on the patient’s table.
Arrhythmia
Hearts that beat, / Turn into hearts that don’t.
Medicine is a March
Medicine is a march, but it’s not like Sherman’s to the sea. You don’t burn what you leave, and the sea is always just beyond the next hill.
Contributing Writer
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine
Jinit is a second year medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Medicine at the campus in Rockford, Illinois. In 2015, he graduated from UIC with a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy. Following this, he earned a Master of Public Health from UIC in 2016. He also worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at La Univalle in Santiago de Cali, Colombia, from 2016 to 2017. Jinit enjoys spending time with friends and family. In the future, he plans to pursue careers in medicine, education, and writing.