The Doctor He Became: Reflections on a Nazi Concentration Camp Doctor
He remembered the days / his hands were used / only / to heal, comfort
Tag: poetry
Contributing Writer
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Elizabeth is a fourth year medical student who is also concurrently earning her Master of Science in clinical research at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She will graduate in May 2020. In 2014, she graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in biochemistry. She enjoys table tennis, learning the saxophone and writing poetry in her free time. After graduating medical school, Elizabeth would like to pursue a career in otolaryngology.
Relapse
An addict in detox, again. / Chief complaint of “at his wits’ end” / Manipulation, his malicious game.
Forget
Ajoba shuffles across the room towards aji, screaming / ‘Why do you ask the same questions over and over again?’ / ‘Why can’t you just try to remember?’ / ‘I forget’, she replies
Putting Baby to Sleep
The mask on baby’s face / And he knew and didnt know what was going on; / He had blurred vision / And an amnestic cocktail coursing through his veins already
Hear My Song Reaper
I could see the scythe swinging from one eye to another / The Reaper hovered towards my room / Life had left me months ago, when I had first heard the news / Now I knew it would’ve been better, had I not left the womb
The Hidden Curriculum
“It’s time to wake up boss, please open your eyes. / There’s much work to be done and we’re ready to advise.” / Curiosity propelled me to confront my kooky staff. / One flipped through a dictionary, the other spoke on his behalf.
To Carl, Whose Name I Never Knew
The cadaver lab speaks for itself. Responding, however, is more difficult. This is a eulogy asks forgiveness for every joke, jab and cringe delivered in medical school’s temporary tombs.
Abscess
Hunched over in your chair, / Guarding an abscess with apathy, / Your arm is swollen, angry, burning.
Systemic Vascular Resistance
From deep below / layers and rings of earth / I feel the vibrations / Pulse
#OrlandoStrong
The University of Central Florida College of Medicine is located 20 miles from PULSE nightclub in Orlando, FL. This poem is dedicated to the victims, survivors and their families and to this beautiful community that will forever be #OrlandoStrong.
Opioids
It never ends / That pain / Running through my back in a huff
My Doctor
I knew you were a champion, / though I never saw you win, / by the precision in your choices / and your knowing, tired grin.
Contributing Writer
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Houda is an MD candidate at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. A second-year medical student, she writes to keep a curious, fresh perspective on medicine.