Stefano Byer, M3, Class of 2022
I am Mrs. A
Grew up in Kansas City
north, by the river
I held on to life
lifeblood coursing through my veins
through ups, and through downs
The I.V. River
Seemingly Sisyphean
Stefano Byer, M3, Class of 2022
Now, halfway through the crux of medical school that is third year, I often sympathize with Sisyphus. I begin each week with new people, new patients, new criticisms, new stresses, new stories, new lessons, and once I’ve finally adapted…the next week beings—the stone rolls down the hill: I begin anew, and I love it (unlike Sisyphus). Continue reading “Seemingly Sisyphean”
A Brief Hx of Daucus Carota, As Read to the Admissions Committee
Linzy Kirkpatrick, M2, Class of 2023
Genetic modification is the process of altering the DNA of an organism. A process, of selective cultivation for traits deemed to be beneficial, beautiful, robust. In the hands of harvesters, what was wild becomes commonplace; countercurrents of cuisine built upon sturdier eats and thicker meats and drought-resistant grains, passed down to become culture. Somewhere along the way, an errant hand plucked up a root —forsooth! his plan turned humble purple or white to yellow, then orange. Continue reading “A Brief Hx of Daucus Carota, As Read to the Admissions Committee”
Room for More
QeeQee Gao, M3, Class of 2022
“Maurice Johnson is a forty-one-year-old male who presents to the clinic with a chief complaint of chronic left leg swelling. His leg swelling originally started two years ago….”
As the medical student’s voice droned on, all the attending could hear was her stomach rumbling from the missed breakfast that was overtaken by her toddler’s stubborn choice of apparel. She was in a purple phase and insisted on only wearing purple. But the prior day’s laundry load sat forgotten in the washer and had set off a morning of unnecessary tears and uneaten breakfast. Continue reading “Room for More”
Pinion
Vinamratha Rao, Class of 2028
fresh red streaks in the snow-white bank
seeping through fabric stretched across her back,
scored for each round after round
in this mouth of hallways eating a tail of rooms.
1077: Slowly, They Will Know the Truth
Anonymous
I am almost always numb. When I can feel the pain, though, it takes control over all five senses.
Mostly my hearing. All of the others—except, I suppose, touch—become nonexistent. My vision is reduced to flashes of light and dark, obscured and blurred through tears. There is no taste or smell. Continue reading “1077: Slowly, They Will Know the Truth”
From My Window
For the Love of Pie
Angela Li, M2, Class of 2023
Food has always been a part of my social life: going out to eat at restaurants or grabbing drinks at a cocktail bar were activities that I enjoyed with my friends and they were ways to connect with people and catch up with those that I haven’t seen for a while. When we first went into quarantine, all of a sudden, I lost a big portion of my social life, and it was truly quite isolating in the first couple months.
Continue reading “For the Love of Pie”Fall into Crafting
Alexandra Davidson, M1, 2024
From a young age, I have enjoyed making decor for everyday use or holidays. My mom got me hooked on making holiday wreaths over 10 years ago when she asked me to help her refurbish one; I lost count of how many I have made since. My granny taught me how to sew when I decided that I wanted to make my own Halloween costume in 6th grade.
Med Intima 