In the Presence of Shadows
Hospitals are full of shadows, you see
Not the ones cast by light, but more subtly—
Shadows my eyes have learned to find,
In a lip’s small twitch or a posture resigned.
These observations don’t come from my medical education,
But from life’s encounters, shared in conversation—
A shadow of doubt, a shadow of fear,
A shadow of a smile, sometimes a hidden tear.
For every feeling we’ve ever known,
A shadow appears, sometimes alone.
And other times they crowd the air,
But the shadow of death is always there.
Still, the physician’s whispers softly fall,
A comforting shadow fills the hall.
Among these shadows, two odd friends stand—
They cross through rooms, hand in hand.
Yet on the 3rd floor, there’s a clear line drawn,
Where only one of these friends travels on.
Hope is the one I’ve seen move through,
While Sadness lingers, hidden from view.
But today, to my shock, I saw them trade,
As Sadness entered where Hope had stayed.
I heard a scream—so different, so deep—
From a woman who cradled her child in sleep.
A mother for three brief minutes of time,
Her grief like thunder, distant yet sublime.
I stood frozen as Sadness grew,
But soon rejoiced as Hope stepped through.
By Manal Imran
Manal Imran is a medical student from Miami, FL. Her poem ‘In the Presence of Shadows’ l was inspired by an OB/GYN rotation, where the unexpected loss of a newborn contrasted with the floor’s usual joy