The paradox of medicine

Medicine is paradox line by line

Precise but vague, cruel but kind

One dying heart. Two failing lungs

We fight the end, and still it comes

We study guidelines, we read the text

And then comes along a case, leaving us perplexed

One guide says treat, the next says wait

We pick a path and then rely on fate

We must act with speed and yet be still

We must trust the science yet trust the will

We seek proofs, then trust a hunch

We skip the morning tea to save a lunch

We spend years in facts, but think in doubt

We are very certain, but only till truth runs out

Prolonging breath and delaying pain

Not every battle ends in gain

Each patient breaks the boundaries books have shown

Choices are made, then stands alone

Medicine is sharp that way, in thought and scope

But maybe it’s just built on paradox and hope

-Dhruvi Joshi