The Psych Ward
This was my patient. I sat with her, held her hand, coaxed her to share pieces of her life story from underneath the covers.
Poetry Thursdays
Poetry Thursdays is our initiative to highlight poetry and prose by medical students, with a new post every Thursday. If you are interested in contributing or would like to learn more, please contact our editors.
Contributing Writer
Emory University School of Medicine
Natalie is a medical student at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia class of 2026. In 2022, she graduated from Muhlenberg College as valedictorian with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Jewish studies. She enjoys reading fantasy novels and playing with her pet rabbits in her free time. After graduating medical school, Natalie would like to pursue a career in psychiatry.
“Stories Unsaid, Yet Told”
A spoken word piece dedicated to the generous donors and their families of the Donor Body Program at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
A Stranger Confides
Waiting in the snow for the 43, / Mind focused on the cold. / The bitter wind, the bus kneeling
Parallel Lines
My patient sleeps peacefully. / I wake him guiltily. / I don’t want my face to be the first he sees.
Donning and Doffing
As you search your closet / For your scrub cap, / Stethoscope, / And pants,
Jumping: From Between Two Worlds
I am moving, yet I am going nowhere. I am going nowhere, yet I have come a long way. I do not count how many go by, but each spin demands that I keep moving. With every rotation, I take another step, another leap, one jump on this Earth. These cycles fly by, so much so that I can almost hear them as they whoosh over my head in an instant, making seconds go slow.
Betrayal of Selflessness
A bag full of dreams was all my mind possessed, / To leave my mark on the turbulent sands of time and be respected,
Three Months Since
Finally, it’s been three months since // He and I were strangers with bad blood, / breathless in bed, / discussing the acts of giving and / receiving as indulgences, / mulling over our motivations and / the contraindications for / charity.
Heliotropism; towards the sun.
this weekend / I went to the sunflower patch / swinging arms with my mom and sister / starry eyed at the fields of bright gold yellow / nestled in the blue of the mountains around us.
Care by the Clock
In clinics bustling, time’s in demand, / We blend precision with a caring hand, / Not just cases or names on the roll call, / But, Patients’ stories, our familial call.
Spill
Sunshine, in the mornings, / spills. It / slips and slithers as it / tills.
Scenes of a Medical Student
Endless alarms, coffee to-go, Adidas tennis shoes toe to toe. / Password guesses, ID scans, room by room — endless lands.
Contributing Writer
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Hannah is a medical student at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL, Class of 2024. In 2019, she graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology. Hannah is currently pursuing a dual-degree MD/MPH with a focus in health equity. She enjoys yoga and cooking in her free time. After graduating medical school, Hannah would like to pursue a career in Internal Medicine.