Author Archives: Docpoet

Long before I had experienced firsthand what nostalgia felt like, I had felt it vicariously Through stories of displacement, immigration, moving away from one’s parent country Before I knew what loss and grief felt like, those emotions I had imbibed In reading world literature, I had internalized the words that described The unsettling sense ofContinue reading “A Reader’s Life”

Growing a kitchen garden seems like a worthwhile hobby to pursue But gardening is something I cannot successfully do.. * To grow vegetables and herbs pesticide-free To cook using ingredients grown organically To literally consume the fruits of your labor To taste the freshness and incomparable flavor Sounded extraordinarily appealing to me So one dayContinue reading “No Green Thumb”

Summer itself has become a topic of discussion in the past few years Climate change has brought to reality our worst fears.. * Relentless heat waves, prolonged and intense Of living being and infrastructure, testing resilience One side of the Atlantic indulging in schadenfreude to deride The lack of ubiquitous air conditioning on the otherContinue reading “Heat Waves”

Thinking outside the box is what most personal development books suggest So paradoxical advice to think inside the box piqued my interest While thinking outside the box is good for the select few Moat of us work with constraints and have to make do With whatever can fit inside the boxes we have in handContinue reading “Think within the Box”

It is Sunday morning and I already woke up late I am dreading all the things to do that are on my plate I need to prepare meals for the incoming week today I have to clean, fold laundry and put clothes away Oh wait, this is my day to catch up on exercise SkippingContinue reading “Sunday Morning Thoughts”

The book promises to be an interesting read But I’m disheartened to see the typeface, I need The printed letters to be much larger for my aging eyes The print is light, in addition to the unfavorable letter size I put the book back on the shelf and move surreptitiously To the large print sectionContinue reading “Large Print”

When it comes to art, I am nothing more Than a complete beginner, an amateur.. * As I try to draw, copying from a piece of art I admire Struggling to get the proportions desired Trying to channel my middle school art teacher’s voice in my head Trying to remember how she explained the basicsContinue reading “On being self-taught”

You, the one quietly pushing the wheelchair, know that I see How hard you are working, how you are keeping yourself together, barely * I notice towards the patient your unwavering devotion I see how calmly you handle his outbursts of emotion I see the lines of worry, fatigue and maybe resignation On your forehead,Continue reading “The Unsung Heroes of Caregiving”

My joints creak and ache, my muscles feel sore I don’t even feel like myself anymore I carry my personal summer with me Through air conditioned rooms, sweating profusely My internal alarm clock loves to wake me At the ungodly morning hour of three I toss and turn, unable to sleep again I wake upContinue reading “What changed me?”

The portal through which my patients can communicate with me Has been overflowing with messages, and I cannot answer each one satisfactorily This is a growing problem that healthcare providers face For AI to get involved, this would theoretically be a good place.. * Recently I had a message from a caregiver who seemed toContinue reading “Thou shalt not let AI impersonate you”

So I heard a segment on the radio about two types of vacation that someone would take One an adventure vacation, and the other a vacation in which they would make Time and space just for reading-albeit at an aesthetic place Away from home, where they would embrace The bliss of reading all day andContinue reading “Reading Vacation”

Some days I worry I am not doing enough I try to increase my efficiency and do more stuff If I spend my time in frivolous pursuits, guilt gnaws at me Time must not be wasted, it is a precious commodity.. * Then there are days when my workload I want to decrease I wantContinue reading “Not enough to Too Much”