The Paratrooper
The paratrooper shook as they descended upon him. / Prepared to interrogate him with hollow-point questions
Tag: poetry
Contributing Writer
University of Florida College of Medicine
Andrew Kolarich is a third year medical student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.
Passive Activism
We strive to identify as a generation of idealists. / We are politically aware, socially conscious young adults. / We place our collective purchasing power behind products with a social mission.
Rosie
I first heard the click, click of her black stilettos / Her heels narrowed to a tiny point that seemed to pierce the ground. / I imagined the floor whimpering at every step she took / The faces of terrified tiles reflecting in glistening heels
Med Student Mom
After a day of screams and sorrow and blood, / Every drop of my compassion leached from me. / Racing home to beat the dawn…
The Playbook
In the playbook of professionalism, / Where is room for the physician who / Reads German poetry to the dying patient / For days and days until her end?
Please Not Me
“Please not me,” I pray earnestly. Not me. Not me. I don’t want to become the medical student-turned-resident-turned-physician who loses empathy. The one who loses compassion. The one who takes lives and near death experiences for granted, who quickly learns, as an ER attending once bluntly stated, that “everyone’s a liar.” Not me.
Take Care
The mother looks at the doctor / and back at me. / The baby smiles. / She says, / “She won’t keep her food down.”
The Impostor
Here I am, one week from Match — / Decisions that come with a catch. / I know not who I’ll be quite soon / Nor where I’ll be to play in tune.
Amazing Grace
When you look at their white coats / Do you see what I see? / Do you see future doctors / Who are struggling to be
πάθος (pathos)
in path lab / the residents / pass around organs / and explain
Voices in the Clinic Room
What happened to his smile? / Minutes ago, he was beaming. / Now the patient’s face contorted as he yelled. / Fury filled every crevice and crack of his face.
Thanksgiving
I found such peace in our stillness. / Your stomach rumblings almost music. / I caught myself peeking ever so often, / to find solace in your breathing.
Contributing Writer
Baylor College of Medicine
Joniqua Ceasar is a member of Baylor College of Medicine's Class of 2020. She is passionate about social justice within medicine and plans to engage in a career of public health. When she isn't in the hospital, you can find her working on a DIY craft project, tweeting via @rxforjustice, or snapping photos on her DSLR.