One Step At A Time
My mind wakes up in the morning / Sweating with facts / Preparing / For the archeological dig.
Off the Shelf
Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Contributing Writer
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Eileen is first year medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Before entering medical school, she studied global health and medical anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and did a Fulbright research fellowship in Hangzhou, China. Her research interests revolve around exploring issues of maternal-child health and reproductive rights. She enjoys reading, yoga, jogging in Central Park, and autumn weather.
A Physician Finds Himself at a Loss for Words
And whenever I see you smile / There are significant changes in my cardiology, / I love you
Medical School
Felt like war, those early years, / We fought a fight for all those years.
Are We All Impostors?
Is it just me? / Or does it seem / that my pride / will not let me be
No Emergency Contacts
I found them for you. / Your blonde little girls who grew into women / Then grew apart from you. / I found them.
Waves
I first met you at age 13. / You hid behind a / camouflage of naivety.
Dreams Versus Reality
My balance beam within the clouds / Seems lost amongst the starry night / As dreams and thoughts blur vision to / The reality of my true plight.
I’ve Heard This Before
I’ve heard this before, / This insidious pain you describe, / That grinds and gnaws / Diffusely below the stomach
Body Field Meets Sterile Field (2017)
Where the consciousness floats into the medicine / Where the sacred meets the metal / Where the steel cuts the energy field
For Some of Us, Medicine is Still a Sacred Calling
We were called out. From the darkness, we came. Like a deer in the black morning, we arose in that witching hour before the sun obliterates the fog to begin our walk on that narrow path.
First Look Through An Ophthalmoscope
I approach the translucent window, / a milky opacity locking tight its hinges. / Vainly I press forward, reaching / for the soft sill on which to rest my hand.
The Supremacy of the Scalpel
We wield the privilege of the scalpel, / Slice skin, / Cauterize the cutaneous, / Disrobe the depths of disease.
Contributing Writer
University of Alberta
Sarah Hanafi is a medical student at the University of Alberta with a vision for medicine that extends beyond the doctor’s office: she works upstream and across sectors to create healthier communities and address systemic challenges to wellbeing. Her work straddles the spheres of social services, health policy, political advocacy, community organizing, as well as research. Sarah has a vision for more connected and healthier communities - one that is inspired by a genuine passion for serving others.
