Purse

Linlei Ye, 2T1 WB

This original poem was inspired by a patient interview conducted through the Making Every Encounter Therapeutic (MEET) elective experience. MEET, an initiative developed by the Medical Psychiatry Alliance, promotes the use of healing conversations to listen and respond to patient narratives.

---

Smooth beige Italian leather

Gold threads woven into the letters A.D.

Defined by its curved, feminine silhouette

Dainty yet sturdy handles lift it into shape

A maroon rouge lipstick, compact mirror

Crumpled prescriptions, blister pack pills

A faded photograph of a young couple dated 1981

Hollow and empty

The straps dig into the woman’s shoulders

She says she is 67

Though her smooth complexion denies her age

Floral dress dances with fluid movement

Dainty yet sturdy heels keep her spine upright

“What brings you to clinic?”

A trigger

Her lips quiver, conducting her voice to a tremble

Tears erase her makeup, uncovering wrinkles

Cancer is a poor judge of character

Punishing the hard working, the kind-hearted

Its residues like tear gas

Lingering, suffocating, drowning

Loved ones left behind – hollow and empty

Making them wish they were chosen instead