Precious
- Virginia Journal of Medicine
- Apr 2, 2025
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 4, 2025
by Ruja Parikh
Precious are seconds in a hospital.
To the patient
awaiting return to her own bed
To the doctor
running
running
running the list
To the student
reading & reeling
preparing, steeling
To her family
fingers curled around her wrist.
A noise that feels familiar?
a Roar.
a Buzz.
Filling the ears & crowding the thoughts
ringing & beeping,
defeating,
loss.
Volume creeping louder with every...
fresh sorrow
new to-do
moment borrowed...
Precious is silence in the hospital.
a chair turned, her story shared
the roar softens
in a common reflection, saved for later
Pen to paper
the buzz dims