Beyond the Chart

 I walk the halls where silence clings,

Where IVs drip and hope still sings.
But healing's more than lab reports,
Than vitals tracked or weekly sorts.

A pill won’t fix a broken wage,
Nor cure the weight of housing rage.
A scan can’t see the soul that’s bruised,
Or hunger where the words are used.

So I step in with open eyes,
To hear the truths that medicine denies.
The mother scared to miss her shift,
The elder lost in paperwork drift.

The child who fights, but can't afford
The care that should be swift, assured.
The language gap, the system's wall,
I stand beside them through it all.

I speak their names in meetings cold,
Where data reigns and charts are gold.
I ask not just what is your pain?
But what’s been taken? What remains?

I call the caseworker again,
Translate the jargon, hold the pen.
I write the note the doctor missed,
I ask the pharmacist to assist.

Because to truly heal a life
We must confront not just the strife
Inside the blood or broken bone,
But all the ways they're left alone.

So let my work be more than care,
Let it be justice, bold and fair.
For healing thrives where truth is met,
And no one’s voice is easy to forget.