The Cost
There is a darkness that lingers above. / Alive and breathing, / Short shallow breaths.
Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Contributing Writer
University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
Kelly Wigglesworth is a third-year medical student at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine class of 2022. In 2016, Kelly received a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in classical humanities from Biola University in La Mirada, California. Throughout her life, she has been an adventure-seeker and lover of all living things. In the moments between clinics and research, Kelly gardens, runs, paints, writes poetry, and flees to the mountains to snowboard or hike. She loves God and is passionate about recognizing the spiritual and psychological elements of health: both in the medical field and through poetry. Upon graduation, Kelly plans to become a pediatrician.
I Miss You, Too
There are fewer flowers in the hospital rooms now. / The ones sent to room 22 / have been taken out.
You Should Know
You say that I must be hot / and reach over to take my coat off. / No, I’ll keep it on.
Half-mast
you’re making things worse / rubbing wounds with the salt / from their own sweat
Patient Advocate
“Abuse is of use.” / That is what we tell ourselves. / That it makes us stronger.
feeling unmatched
These are the subjects / you taught me, but as I sit in this / despair, they don’t comfort me. / I need you to teach me more.
OB/GYN Introductions
I heard about the blood / that you described as a flood, / and the terrible stomach pain
You
I see You / Holding up the sign / standing in line / or in a crowd / loud and proud.
What Science Can Kiss
Those voluble cells which / lay softly atop the glass slide / compose the truth, compose the / cabalistic dialect of you and I
Comedic Relief
A courteous knock on the door / Followed by a confident entry / Quickly halted by an urgent cry
To My First Patient Who Passed
Yours is the name I carry on / You were the first I mourned when gone
DNR
20 / still / except / her chest rising, falling
Contributing Writer
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Margaret is a fourth-year medical student at University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, class of 2022. She has a Master of Science in computer science from University of California, San Diego and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and computer sciences from University of California, Berkeley. After graduating medical school, Margaret would like to pursue a career in psychiatry, with a focus on the prevention/early intervention of psychiatric disorders and innovations in mental health. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, music, and ballet.