Author Archives: Docpoet

She screamed silently, yet again At the sexist allusion to her brain Spoken in a tone of condescension Quite clear was the insinuation Her competence was being questioned, without Knowledge of the situation, no doubt Because of her gender… As if being a woman, petite, slender Was enough for a man to discredit Her qualifications,Continue reading “Silent rage”

I know the situation is grim, the prognosis not good at all- There is yet another procedure, which gives a chance, albeit small For improvement in your condition, I cannot but offer it to you There is no guarantee it would work, could be harmful too It could give you some longevity, but simultaneously compromiseContinue reading “Dilemma and decision”

As a child, to me adjectives were just words Used to qualify people and objects in the world I thought adjectives had a purpose singular To serve as vehicles of description- it did not occur To me that adjectives could serve as instruments Of bias, bigotry, and pronunciation of judgment Some adjectives were obvious, othersContinue reading “Mind your adjectives”

This verse is in light of recent events in India regarding violence towards doctors. You placed me on a pedestal, but God I was not.. *** Yes I recall the day when before you I stood My sterile gown caked with blood, giving news good In the operating room, I had passed a grueling nightContinue reading “Demonized, demoralized”

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live” Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Time and again I had heard Some sort of a variation on these words- If you wanted something badly enough The world would conspire to get it on your turf- Yet I never found this to beContinue reading “Detached from desire”

This is a poem about postpartum depression- an underrecognized and undertreated illness. Time and again she was told, it would be natural From within her would spring forth love maternal Nights without sleep would have no adverse impact All her fatigue would be vanquished, in fact.. By  gazing lovingly at the countenance Of her bundleContinue reading “Love at the end of the tunnel..”

Ganga is the life-blood of India, venerated as a goddess, but shares the dubious distinction of being the sixth most polluted river in the world). I originated on Earth, deep in the high mountains, You concocted that I had from heavens descended I surged ahead, through hills, valleys, plains To the eastern sea- in theContinue reading “I, Ganga”

If  a passive observer were to observe in detail His life- I can tell you they would certainly fail To identify any source of unhappiness gross He had sailed through life without suffering a major loss Had checked all the boxes, fulfilled every expectation That one might have from someone  in his situation Found aContinue reading “Existential angst”

What would you like to own, that is truly yours? * I hope you own everything you wish for under the sky But ownership of material objects rarely does anyone satisfy You might own your business, your precious venture That you invest yourself in, with pride you nurture But external forces beyond your control orContinue reading “Own Your Voice”

When someone calls me an immigrant I am confused Not knowing in what context the word has been used- Maybe it is just an observation about me Because I look and pronounce words differently.. I must confess here, though, that I am insecure What my immigrant status signifies to someone, I am not sure SomeContinue reading “Immigration, integration”

Later, All unfinished patient charts I will complete Documenting in detail is no small feat I’ll try to coherently word my impression In a sea of irrelevant information When boredom and fatigue creep in late at night With some more caffeine, I’ll put up a fight * Later,  I’ll answer work e-mails that number aContinue reading “Musings of a physician”

There was a time when I would try to rationalize Every aspect of my behavior, I would apologize For every perceived infraction, every breach Of  “lady-like” behavior, I would try to reach The exalted pedestal of morality set for me And berate myself when I failed miserably.. * Somewhere along the line, a habit itContinue reading “Sorry..not sorry”