Ben Harstine, M4, Class of 2021
I speak behind a mask.
I smile with my eyes.
You nod and smile back.
I see it, I surmise.
Behind a Mask
Category: Creative writing
Schooled in Coronavirus
Ben Harstine, M4, Class of 2021
School is in session,
first week: infection.
Football quarantined for poor discretion.
Weeks passed—
still in class,
risk accepted.
Can We Talk About Death?
and adam fell into a deep sleep
Vinu Rao, M1, Class of 2024
I.
from the dust emerged a swirling cyst of layers
tumbling into one another
until the father’s hands enveloped the incomplete.
his fingers laced together tight,
a squeeze away from crushing it all
and starting all over again,
he breathed and knew
he had formed
a seal his children cannot help but break.
II.
the children of god
burned and crushed and uprooted
flowers and trees of Eden
to find what will maim and disfigure
their naked bodies
Congratulations, but Being Black Probably Helped
Anonymous
I always knew I wanted to become a physician, but after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2014 with a GPA and MCAT score considered “non-competitive”, I took measures to bolster my resume. With two years of employment, volunteering, shadowing and several medical school interviews under my belt, I ultimately received an envelope from the KU School of Medicine in February 2016. I Skyped my mother and sister so they could witness my life transform in real time. As I peeled back the tri-folded single sheet of paper, my eyes immediately flew to the second sentence: “Unfortunately…” I half-heartedly skimmed the rest of the letter without saying a word. My mother and sister read the shame on my face. I received several more letters just like this one in the following weeks.
Continue reading “Congratulations, but Being Black Probably Helped”
A Shadow in the Light
Anonymous
If all we see is our own goodness,
but reject the darkness within,
where does that really put us?
When our side is the only truth,
the world around us crumbles,
and spiritual death takes our youth.
But what if we see our evil,
listen to the figure calling from the dark wall,
the voice who tries to catch us
well before we fall? Continue reading “A Shadow in the Light”
They Find Their Needs Met in You
Connor Stubblefield, M3, Class of 2022
I
The row of pink lines, round faces tousled at every frill and trill by the wind, finds its needs met in you.
II
The shorter friends, purple and yellow bunches tossed not as much by the wind as by the butterflies and bees that leap and jump from their platforms—yes, these too, the flowers and the bright flitting patterns under the sun, find their needs met in you. Continue reading “They Find Their Needs Met in You”
Med Intima 