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”
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”
Throughout this election cycle, our televisions, websites and social media are dominated by one issue: the future of healthcare. Millions of Americans do not have health insurance, which can prevent them from accessing the basic resources necessary for maintaining their health. To bridge this gap, the JayDoc Clinic at KUMC helps provide essential care, such as medications, diabetes treatment, eye exams, general health and community outreach for no cost to patients.
Amber Smith, a second-year medical student at KUMC, is an Executive Director for the JayDoc clinic. She plays an important role in the daily logistics, serves as a liaison between the students and patients, and helps plan the vision for the clinic. Smith’s inspiration for attending KUMC and joining JayDoc came from seeing healthcare inequity amongst her family and wanting to make sure others wouldn’t have the same experience.
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”
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
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”
Cooking has always been something I’ve found relaxing. With all the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, I thought it would be nice to slow things down and use some of my time in quarantine to bake a few things.
Summer is the time of remembrance.
To know what is coming in the cold winter,
to know what is past in the fresh spring.
New life passes away,
and the cold washes it all away,
prepares the ground for the bulbs to spring up.
Cyclical.
To know one’s passing is to know rebirth.
Med Intima 