Haikus on Death from the MedHumChat Community

Natasha Abadilla and Colleen Farrell, MD

Frank discussions about death are taboo in many settings. Yet death is central to the human experience, and to the daily work of clinicians. To open up the conversation around death, we asked our MedHumChat Twitter community to write haikus about their experiences with death. Their responses were beautiful and moving. You can read all the haikus (and reply with your own!) here. Below are a few of our favorites.

Time, a precious ring

That she assumed would be there

Until it let go

—Sabha Ganai @DrSabha

I like to think your

nine months were gentle, though you

never caught your breath

—Rachel Pearson @HumanitiesMD

Jaw slack, raspy breaths.       

The ghost of Agent Orange. 

Vet’s Final Breath. Done.

—Kristen Sandau @kristin_sandau

How do I respond

When he looks at me and says

I don’t want to die

—Matthew Tyler @PalliDad

Your babes were kept safe,

Shielded by you from the car.

Their lives saved by yours.

—Rebekah Fenton @RFentonMD

Your laugh filled the air

Your story stays in my heart

Thank you for your time

—Janeni Nayagan @janeni_nayagan