Do you remember me?
Wasn’t I a sight to see?
Well I remember you
And what you wanted to do
Come, and go, as you pleased
With affection and attention you teased
Me, until I actually believed you cared —
But then you dared
To go away again,
                                     and again.

What was your name?
Do you even remember mine?
Because after some time you all looked the same,
As you came by
time,
              after time,
                                     after
                                                 time. 

To ‘teach’ and to ‘preach’
Hoping your words might reach
‘needy’ hearts like yours and mine
As you came by
time,
              after time,
                                    after
                                                 time. 

I don’t know if it was when you came or when you left
That made it hard to see you
The joy you brought was only theft
The story of me was one you wanted to see through
To the end of your two or three or four weeks
The entire time you pinched my cheeks
I remembered that you would
Leave …
time,
             after time,
                                   after
                                                time. 

You appeared, with eager hands and a quick embrace
To find a place in my heart, and create a space
Where I felt secure but unsure if I should savouré
This obscure relationship that we’ve got going on. 

Because I know that this can’t endure,
And that for sure
Once you’ve got a flavor for what I’m like
Like a vapor, you’re gone.

You left, first with memories and the same promises
To ‘teach’ and to ‘preach’ once again
To watch me ‘grow’ and ‘know’ and to get to know me, better 

All these Judases —
Came and sold my story for their gain
and told me then that their kiss was not in vain that they’d try to maintain
and feign
their love for me
before I almost forgot that
you’d be over
time,
             after time,
                                    after
                                                time. 

This piece is inspired by a patient interaction during my time as a third-year medical student at a large community hospital learning with neurologists. A young woman was diagnosed with a rare disease that had many teams and medical professionals sharing their concerns and clinical amazement with her. I was present for the delivery of her diagnosis and was really blessed to be a part of her care until she left the hospital.

Image credit: “Hospital Bed“ by dancox is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Christopher Awad (1 Posts)

Medical Student Contributing Writer, Editor

Emory School of Medicine

Christopher Awad will graduate Emory's School of Medicine with his MD/MBA in 2024 and plans to train in Emergency Medicine. He started a company called Pocket-Doc, cares deeply about working with underserved populations, and is passionate about citizen science.