Healthcare Workers’ Poetry Highlights Peak of COVID-19

Dr. James Kyung Jin Lee of UCI’s Center for Medical Humanities hosted a book reading derived from “Doctor Poets & Other Healers,” a collection of poetry and prose written by med students, doctors, nurses, physicians, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals on Oct. 11. Co-editors Dr. Thelma T. Reyna, Dr. Frank L. Meyskens and Dr. Johanna Shapiro were introduced, followed by nine selected authors and a Q&A session.

According to Dr. Reyna, the book was based on past symposiums where healthcare and non-healthcare workers expressed complex thoughts and feelings toward the COVID-19 pandemic. 

First, the writers shared their reactions to the COVID-19 breakout. Dr. Steven Rosen was baffled by the sudden severity of the pandemic. To Dr. Rosen, it “came in like a fog” and appeared to “seep into the crevices” of California. 

In March 2020, when Dr. Charat Rajaram saw on the news 100,00 COVID-19 deaths, he felt that Minnesota, Minneapolis where he lived, was “burning.” He juxtaposed that narrative with his other poem “Blessing,” which was four stanzas about grief, prayer, spring, and hope.

Next, the writers talked about the consequences of reduced physical contact. For example, Dr. Meyskens felt that there was a lack of  “compassion and empathy” in people. His second poem described types of hugging and hand-holding as vital in preserving humanity, like “two ancient forms of communication, transmitting compassion and understanding.” 

Other writers wrote about their response to getting COVID-19. 

OB-GYN physician Carol J. Grabowsky pushed for vaccination when she worked from home and at the clinic despite struggling with COVID-19 symptoms. Dr. Alexandra Levine who worked at City of Hope Hospital was bedridden with COVID-19, and with the little strength she had, wrote the poem “Friendship as Practiced by Jean” to remember Jean’s visits “suffused with love and care.”

Lastly, the writers discussed the working conditions during the pandemic. From the UCI anatomy lab, Ph.D. student Kathleen Powers recollected her thoughts about the purpose of work in her poem “Heart as an Esker.” On the other hand, UCI professor and family physician Dr. Baotran Vo’s poem “Giving Birth Just Before Lockdown” described life “in the trenches” and at home. She found herself as a determined healthcare worker, but also a loving mother and daughter.

After the readings, the event opened up to a Q&A session. An individual asked, given the suffering the writers have experienced, what were their motives for writing poetry during the pandemic, which was like “a locomotive going into a slow motion accident.” Dr. Meyskens responded that it was therapy— a necessity for survival. 

Another individual asked if poetry helped readers outside the medical field understand their ordeal. Powers agreed, and stated that “work and art are related.”