Half-mast
you’re making things worse / rubbing wounds with the salt / from their own sweat
Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Medical Student Editor and Contributing Writer
East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine
Holly Ingram is a fourth-year medical student at the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine in Greenville, North Carolina. In 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology with minors in chemistry and anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In her free time, Holly enjoys playing soccer and visiting waterfalls. After medical school, Holly would like to pursue a career in pediatrics.
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
“Behind”: A Poetic Reflection of the Beginnings of M1
The clock behind me ticks / As the seconds line up with the cicadas’ hiss, / I hear the children outside, and the cracks of sticks
It’s Okay To Say Goodbye
As the door swings open, it hits the chair that was shifted more than usual. / Next to the computer sits a 94-year-old woman in a wheelchair / who is here for one last visit.
It’s all in the mind.
I’m 19, I was caught trespassing. / They said I was acting “unusual.” / No reason really.
Contributing Writer
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Samantha is a fourth-year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, Florida class of 2022. In 2016, she graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She enjoys yoga, going to the beach, and reading in her free time. After graduating medical school, Samantha plans to pursue a career in Pediatrics.