Author Archives: Docpoet

When does ambition borne out of lofty ideas indeed Degrade, get sullied, morph into unbridled greed? * What starts with a vision and takes shape gradually With astuteness, risk-taking, intense labor, and naturally A good dose of luck- that makes a dream come alive With infusion of passion, the project continues to thrive Continued growthContinue reading “Ambition to greed”

The system is broken, its victims on their own Trying to navigate through giant crevasses alone Shortage is the operative word here Of supplies, personnel, patience- I fear Overworked individuals close to their limits have reached Workplace ethics have been tarnished and breached Team spirit and casual camaraderie Unfortunately one can only rarely see SomeContinue reading “Silver lined clouds…”

How, after all these years, she wonders Her assimilation still feels incomplete Always treading with care to avoid cultural blunders Afraid that expectations she cannot meet * She knows to avoid those nuances that are shown By new immigrants from her motherland Hyper vigilant not to commit errors unknown Staying quiet if something she doesn’tContinue reading “Outsider”

One of the most controversial episodes in the Hindu epic Ramayana is the Agnipariskha (Test by Fire) of Sita. As per the alleged tale, after Ram had defeated Ravan and rescued Sita, he refused to accept her and Sita was asked to jump into fire to prove her chastity after having lived in Lanka inContinue reading “Sita says..”

My patient is sick, and she needs My empathy, besides my expertise, indeed I’m cognizant of her disability and pain I also understand the mental strain That she experiences every day As heart failure (literally) sucks her breath away Everything in my interaction that I emphasize Is focused on her needs, with her I empathizeContinue reading “Empathy”

We all have the lives we are given To deal with the cards in our hands, but then Fortunately we have also been blessed With the ability to think, imagine and process We are not satisfied with the way things happen to be We want life to fit our imagination, evidently Sometimes some of usContinue reading “The life that I have, not the life I want..”

There are lines, neat and bold Telling a story that begs to be told Attention-grabbing, drawing you in Expressing ideas given a clever spin By the writer, who is trying to lead you In a direction singular, as the article you read through.. Read the lines and your ideas would soon resonate With the author’sContinue reading “Read Between the Lines”

Lately I have had some trouble sleeping, precipitated by nights on hospital call. As I was trying to power through clinic in a mostly sleep-deprived state this week, I heard the complaint of insomnia or poor sleep from nearly every patient (Some of it may have to do with the soaring temperatures where even air-conditioningContinue reading “I Can’t Sleep..”

I read.. stories I consume I gloat over ideas, I savor I inhale the perfume I experience the flavors Of tales wild and true And outlandish fantasies Textured, layered ideas I accrue Vivid words my imagination seize I take in books like a connoisseur I feel them using every sense Reading a book is aContinue reading “Bookish…”

(This comes on the heels of the last poem- how a physician moves forward with hope in the midst of despair) There were a thousand reasons to leave Myriad annoyances that made me want to cleave Myself from the profession that had become My second skin, my identity, the overall sum Of my strengths andContinue reading “My raison d’être is the reason..”

Bit by bit I see chipping away My once unbridled enthusiasm every day I want to channel my energies in one place On my patients, but my cognitive space Is occupied by umpteen tasks unproductive I have no more bandwidth left to give Any more to this hallowed profession With a heavy heart I makeContinue reading “Don’t Let Me Burn(out)”

We believe that to be in control of our destiny Is the ultimate goal, one that would make us happy So we try to establish control in any way we can In a life that has a penchant for not following our plans If only we tried hard enough, we are told; We would seeContinue reading “Things I can’t control…”