The Fire
It never ends
That pain,
Running through my back in a huff.
Joints are battlefields,
Every step sets me on fire
Hating movement,
My body burns itself.
I touch my back,
And my hands lie
I know there’s wildfire
From bottom to top
My skeleton burns.
Relief
I took one bag
Pulled it up
A little pinch
Poof
It was a waterfall
Washing away the flames
Tempering the fire
My vertebrae swam
Synchronized swimmers
In a pool of crystal blue
My body was calm
Eyes closed,
I wade into the water
Addiction
I want to walk,
To sleep in waves of calm,
Away from wildfire
Let it end
I wade deeper
Am I drowning?
Writer-in-Training
Drexel University College of Medicine
Rohit is a second year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2012, and then went on to teach reading to elementary school students for two years. After teaching, he worked in health policy for a year, and then matriculated to medical school. Currently, he is pursuing an MD/MPH degree and hopes to work in community health and harm reduction. He is passionate about health equity, LGBTQ rights, and racial justice. By far, his greatest skill is reciting lines from Pixar’s Up.