good morning, i’m the medical student
i must ask how you are feeling
even though my eyes already sting
from the distinctive fog
of agony reserved for
the rooms of
sick boys and sick girls
sicker moms and sicker dads
decades dwindled to days
speaking is now laborious
yet you muster
“my sticker?”
my scope of practice includes
Assistant to Professional Collector of Chemo Stickers
soon to adorn a small casket
i’m mad your body rusted faster than mine
but it was expected.
america didn’t learn to love
the undocumented boy born
in the salty sea of misfortune
oxidized by poverty
corroded by genetics
would you excuse me for a second?
my face mask is sopping
oh how i wish i could
keep vigil in the light-bleached hallway
glue my spine to the linoleum
come, let us curse
his present illness
Image credit: Pediatrics (CC BY-SA 2.0) by artangelo
Poetry Thursdays is an initiative that highlights poems by medical students. If you are interested in contributing or would like to learn more, please contact our editors.
Contributing Writer
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
I am a fourth year medical student interested in family medicine. I am passionate about preventative health and culturally competent care!