I can't help it, I like weird stuff. Like cats with white paw pads. I've made it a point to collect strange fruit.

Throughout my undergrad, my program would produce a yearly publication called North. Everyone was encouraged to submit stories, poems, art, or photos to be included. While I never had the talent or creativity to submit something, I always purchased a copy of the end result.

Recently, I found myself re-reading these magazines. I was slightly taken aback by how much medical content I found. Below are a few of the poems that struck me the most.

In Defense of Non-Physical Death, by Ciara Wolff

Without hospitals
or other intermediaries between
the known and the unknown
death occurs.
On the immediate level of the everyday
death may be passing in one's veins
bullying,
choking

life right out of them.
Death occurs here
as here, lives moving in their possible ascent
from plane
unto plane
while within
the body racing bruised

death lives
while dying loots
light from under the eye
as it does, also, in its physical variation.

~~~

I Choose Acid Reflux Today or A Speech on the dirty word diversity, by Angie Murphy

I choose acid reflux today because I like hot hot spice.
I like flat bottomed shoes with rubber souls and
brazen roaring jazz horns.

I choose acid reflux today because I like chocolate.
I like smooth brown voices speaking up and
warm hugs for rich and poor alike.

I choose acid reflux today because I like orange juice.
I like loud, vibrant faces, dancing, and
singing out with all their limbs.

I choose acid reflux today because I like coffee.
I like full bodied black vinyl records,
ceramics and cream spirals.

I choose acid reflux today because I like buffets.
I like a variety of colourful solutions and
global know-how all at one table.

I choose acid reflux today so simmer,
simmer down.

~~~

Man's Creation, by Chris Reid

Amazing-
This day and age
All I have to do is sit.
I can do almost anything sitting down:
I can send letters
To the other side of the world instantaneously,
Watch million-dollar people
Take over the world,
I can listen to music
Not made by instruments.
And all this from home!

Never was there a better time to live.
If I was dying of some fatal injury,
It is possible that doctors could save me;
If for some reason my heart wasn't working
(A reason other than it being broken)
They could replace it;
I decide I don't like my looks
A little snippety-snip here, some plastic there,
And voila, I'm someone else.
Masterful things have we done!

Incredibly advanced are we now:
Man has trop on the moon,
Made a living sheep from nothing,
Discovered nuclear power.
Discovered nuclear bombs.
We ended millions of lives;
Ruined more.
Made our driving force in life
The desire for more.

The technology that we have created
Could help millions
But we forgot to develop one thing:
Each other.