Holiday Spirit Poems
As a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellow on an inpatient unit over the holiday season, I wrote these pieces to capture the quiet ironies, fleeting joys, and subtle rhythms of life in the unit.
Medmic
Winter Workers Poetry Series
Written by Eric Dessner MD. Dr. Dessner is an ophthalmologist in private practice in Brooklyn, NY and the founder and CEO of Medmic.com.
“SoulShine” by the Allman Brothers
“Soulshine
It’s better than sunshine
It’s better than moonshine
It’s sure better than rain”
“Good News–your insurance company says you’re feeling much better!”
Cartoon by Randy Glasbergen
Winter 2026 Poetry Contest (Feb 1st-April 30th): Winner Receives a $100 Dollar Cash Prize. Entry fee $10 dollars per poem.
We are pleased to announce our Winter 2026 Poetry Contest (Feb 1st – April 30th). The winner will receive a $100 cash prize. The 1st and 2nd runners up will have their poem published on www.medmic.com for 6 months and receive commentary from the contest judges. The winner will also have the option of promoting their work through a video interview on www.medmic.com. Poems can belong to any genre (free form, rhyming, sonnets, haiku, etc) We encourage poets to send poems that relate to wellness or healthcare, but this is not absolutely mandatory. Submissions will be accepted until April 30th, 2026.
Winter 2026 Haiku Contest (Feb 1st – April 30th). The winner will receive a $100 cash prize. Entry fee $10 per Haiku.
We are pleased to announce our Winter 2026 Haiku Contest (Feb 1st – April 30th). The winner will receive a $100 cash prize.
Not Looking Away
Kathy Ray retired in 2024 from 30 years as a PA in the fields of dermatology, cardiology and internal medicine in the Albany, New York area. Patients’ stories often inspired poetry, but it was relegated to sticky notes. Now, words get their due.
Congruity
The poem is by Mufakir Bhanain, which is a pen name for Drs. Pamela Butler and Fatima Shad (see bio below). Dr. Butler lives in New York City and Dr. Shad lives in Sydney, Australia.
Brief bio: Mufakir Bhanain is the union of two neuroscientists (Drs. Pamela Butler and Fatima Shad), who write poetry together. Mufakir means thinker and Bhanain means sister.
Spring/ Summer 2025 Haiku Contest Winner
Nimish Garg a 4th-year medical student at the USC Keck School of Medicine, planning to become an internal medicine physician. He writes poetry as a creative outlet to reflect on and navigate both the triumphs and challenges of learning the art of medicine.
Spring/Summer 2025 Poetry Contest Winner Announced
Bio: Priscilla Duran Luciano, MD, is a research fellow in cardiovascular epidemiology and an emerging poet based in New York City. Passionate about the heart in both clinical and poetic senses, she writes at the intersection of medicine, identity, love, and resilience.