Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • My Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Transcripts
  • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Burnout
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • All
  • Physician
  • Burnout
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
    • All
    • Physician
    • Burnout
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • My Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Transcripts
    • Speaking
KevinMD
  • All
  • Physician
  • Burnout
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
    • All
    • Physician
    • Burnout
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • My Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Transcripts
    • Speaking
  • About Kevin Pho, MD, Founder of KevinMD
  • Be heard on social media’s leading physician voice
  • Contact Kevin
  • Custom enhanced author page pricing
  • DMCA Policy
  • Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices
  • KevinMD influencer opportunities
  • Opinion and commentary by KevinMD
  • Physician burnout speakers to keynote your conference
  • Physician Coaching by KevinMD
  • Physician keynote speaker: Kevin Pho, MD
  • Physician Speaking by KevinMD: a boutique speakers bureau
  • Primary care physician in Nashua, NH | Kevin Pho, MD
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recommended services by KevinMD
  • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Thank you for subscribing to KevinMD
  • Thank you for upgrading to the KevinMD enhanced author page
  • Upgrade to the KevinMD enhanced author page

When you die: a poem

Drea Burbank, MD
Physician
November 29, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share

I will tell you exactly
And only the facts.

You are trapped a little for a time
And unhappy

Then your face hollows and it has a death mask
As the soul withdraws from the body

And you look at me and tell me who you see
It is always someone,
Sitting there like me,
But on the other side of things
Waiting for you.

And suddenly you become a column of white light
And leave the body all at once
Going upward,
I know not where.

And the body flickers, because it had a light and it is going out
And it shimmers for a bit
And then it is just a body,

And you are gone.

And sometimes I see you
In my mind’s eye
Standing beside me
Making idle conversation
About love.

Drea Burbank is a physician-entrepreneur.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Self-care should now be your plan

November 29, 2021 Kevin 1
…
Next

Physician communication using the tools of a trial attorney [PODCAST]

November 29, 2021 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Palliative Care

< Previous Post
Self-care should now be your plan
Next Post >
Physician communication using the tools of a trial attorney [PODCAST]

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Drea Burbank, MD

  • How doctors can regain control of their software

    Drea Burbank, MD
  • How doctors should organize

    Drea Burbank, MD
  • How physicians are mishandling technology

    Drea Burbank, MD

Related Posts

  • Doctors die. But the good ones leave a legacy.

    Jaime B. Gerber, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • What it is like to watch someone die

    Casey Krickus
  • What medicine can learn from a poem

    Thomas L. Amburn
  • How we can help our veterans die in peace

    Diane D. Blier, DNP
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD

More in Physician

  • When a patient attacks you, it changes your life

    Timothy Lesaca, MD
  • Rural health care delivery is not a coverage problem

    Vance Alm, MD
  • The one question that measures physician integrity

    Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib
  • 3 Air Force leadership lessons from three commanders

    Ronald L. Lindsay, MD
  • Narrative medicine is what AI in medicine cannot replace

    Muhammad Mohsin Fareed, MD
  • The attention economy is starving public health

    Paul Dranichnikov, MD, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The MCAT requirement persists as a norm, not as a tool

      Aniruth Ananthanarayanan | Medical Education
    • Why physician-led deal sourcing beats traditional VC

      Harsha Moole, MD | Physician Finance
    • End-of-life decision-making is never a solo act

      Chinmeri Nwuba | Health Policy
    • Physician burnout is not your fault, and here’s why blaming yourself keeps you stuck [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why ChatGPT can’t write your residency personal statement

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Medical Education
    • Why health influencers shape patients, not prescriptions

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Social Media in Medicine
  • Past 6 Months

    • Primary care crisis requires new training and skills

      Justin Oldfield, MD | Physician
    • The MCAT requirement persists as a norm, not as a tool

      Aniruth Ananthanarayanan | Medical Education
    • Polycystic ovary syndrome is more than ovarian

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions and Diseases
    • DEA fear is reshaping how doctors prescribe

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • How to improve protein absorption after gastric bypass

      Kevin Huffman, DO | Conditions and Diseases
    • Why physicians miss business owner stress in patients

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician burnout is not your fault, and here’s why blaming yourself keeps you stuck [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Recording medical visits is your legal right

      Laurel A. Coons, PhD | Conditions and Diseases
    • Health care consolidation is the biggest reform barrier

      John E. McDonough, DPH, MPA | Health Policy
    • Health care investing needs a doctor in the room

      Harsha Moole, MD | Physician Finance
    • AI bias in health care reads the writer, not the symptom

      Craig Hauben, MPA | Health Technology
    • How Becerra and Hilton differ on California health care

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Health Policy

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The MCAT requirement persists as a norm, not as a tool

      Aniruth Ananthanarayanan | Medical Education
    • Why physician-led deal sourcing beats traditional VC

      Harsha Moole, MD | Physician Finance
    • End-of-life decision-making is never a solo act

      Chinmeri Nwuba | Health Policy
    • Physician burnout is not your fault, and here’s why blaming yourself keeps you stuck [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why ChatGPT can’t write your residency personal statement

      Kathleen Muldoon, PhD | Medical Education
    • Why health influencers shape patients, not prescriptions

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Social Media in Medicine
  • Past 6 Months

    • Primary care crisis requires new training and skills

      Justin Oldfield, MD | Physician
    • The MCAT requirement persists as a norm, not as a tool

      Aniruth Ananthanarayanan | Medical Education
    • Polycystic ovary syndrome is more than ovarian

      Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD | Conditions and Diseases
    • DEA fear is reshaping how doctors prescribe

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • How to improve protein absorption after gastric bypass

      Kevin Huffman, DO | Conditions and Diseases
    • Why physicians miss business owner stress in patients

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physician burnout is not your fault, and here’s why blaming yourself keeps you stuck [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Recording medical visits is your legal right

      Laurel A. Coons, PhD | Conditions and Diseases
    • Health care consolidation is the biggest reform barrier

      John E. McDonough, DPH, MPA | Health Policy
    • Health care investing needs a doctor in the room

      Harsha Moole, MD | Physician Finance
    • AI bias in health care reads the writer, not the symptom

      Craig Hauben, MPA | Health Technology
    • How Becerra and Hilton differ on California health care

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Health Policy

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today

Copyright © 2026 KevinMD.com | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme

  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

When you die: a poem
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...