She said,
“Doctor:
I know you’ll think I’m crazy, but
I really want to get pregnant.”
Pause.
“The thing is, I know my boyfriend is going to leave me,
and I love him so much, and
I can’t let him go.
I know this sounds like a bad idea,
But if I have his baby,
I’ll always have a piece of him.”
Silence.
“I’ve thought this through.
It’s what I want.
Doctor, please help me.
We don’t have much time.
Can you prescribe me vitamins?
What else do I need to know? I want to do this right.
I hear that timing matters.”
Inhale. Exhale.
“Doctor, I don’t know if you’ve ever felt this,
Like there’s this person that you can’t live without.
I really can’t explain.
But the thought of losing him is killing me.
It’s like I’m dying
Every day.
And this is my only hope.”
Poetry Thursdays is a weekly newsletter that highlights poems by medical students and physicians. This initiative is led by Slavena Salve Nissan at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. If you are interested in contributing, please contact Slavena.
Writer-in-Training
Emory School of Medicine
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Amara has bounced around the country a bit before landing back in her hometown for medical school. She enjoys hiking, traveling, exploring the city and thinking about fun things like human evolution. Email her if you’d like to talk!