There’s this thing that I do,
That we do,
Sometimes…
When we
Love.
When we love,
I, we…
hear but don’t see,
stand firm in the quicksand,
fight and lose simultaneously,
with or without your outstretched hand.
When we love,
it heals and it serves
and it leaps
and it
blurs all sharp
edges,
for
you.
But for us…
But for us…
What will it do?
This poem reflects one of many unhealthy relationship dynamics. This poem is not about unrequited love but instead operating within a significant imbalance. I wrote this poem with women in mind, especially women of color who are experiencing this imbalance in love. This is an imbalance in being committed to a person or people who do not recognize your value or find it necessary to acknowledge your truth, beauty, and goodness, but they will accept anything you are willing to give; this concept is not unique to romantic relationships. This imbalance can happen in friendships, family, education, work, and even in physician-patient relationships, which I believe contributes to increased health care disparity. This poem was inspired equally by the experience of the Black woman and that of the Black patient.
Image credit: Bernini, Pluto and Proserpina by Steven Zucker licensed under CC BY -NC-SA 2.0 license.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
Texas Tech University Health Science Center
I’m Alesia Voice, a third year medical student at TTUHSC. I’ve been writing for a long time, mostly personal and creative pieces. I began sharing many personal reflections and narratives about my life happenings and medical school experiences on my blog The Third Voice in 2018 and have since began sharing my poetry there as well. My goal in my writing as well as in my future medical practice is to tell the truth... the good, the bad, and the ugly.