Finding the right words
In Practice
By Emily Margosian, assistant editor, February 1, 2020
Each month, Dermatology World addresses issues “in practice” for dermatologists. This month Dermatology World talks with Aisha Sethi, MD, about how the practices of dermatology and poetry intersect.
Dr. Sethi’s affinity for words runs deep, having penned her first poems at 11 years old thanks to encouragement from teachers at school and strong cultural support for the value of the art form. “Poetry has a huge role in South Asia,” she explained. “Poets are revered in the culture, both in India and Pakistan.” According to Dr. Sethi, her often lyrical writing style is partly inspired by ghazal, a form of poetry typically set to music with romantic or tragic themes, in addition to her own background in music. “I studied classical Indian singing when I was a teenager, and am very musically minded,” she said. “My work always has a bit of a rhyme to it, and it just sort of comes to me; usually I’m done with a poem in 15 to 20 minutes.”
Despite her early start in the genre, Dr. Sethi only recently began sharing her poetry publicly three years ago, first on social media, and then later on a personal blog within the last year. While balancing the busy life of a dermatologist, Dr. Sethi sees poetry as a form of catharsis. “Anytime I’m inspired by someone or something, I tend to want to write. Likewise, if I’m not feeling especially great, that inspires poetry too.”
Dr. Sethi’s focus within dermatology is underserved populations and global health, with a particular emphasis on refugees — an area that has also influenced her writing. “My interest is in tropical skin disease and infectious diseases within dermatology. Skin manifestations of conditions such as dengue, Zika, Ebola, and those sorts of things,” she said. Although she has worked with refugees in several countries, including parts of East Africa and Pakistan, it was a 2015 trip to Jordan that re-ignited her interest in poetry after several years’ hiatus.
“I was part of a trip with the Syrian American Medical Society, which is an organization that leads multi-specialty mission trips to Jordan, Greece, Lebanon, and Syria,” she said. “This trip was in Jordan at the height of the refugee crisis, and I was just feeling so sad and angry and disappointed about everything. A lot of my poems from this period were inspired by people just doing their best to survive. As a physician, it makes you feel that there’s hope, but you also feel grief for what they’ve been through.”
Dr. Sethi’s poetry has also served as a connection point between her and her patients back in the United States. “I’ve also shared my work with patients who are going through something profound, grief or otherwise,” she said. “Some of my poems are about grief and loss, which I’ve certainly faced in my life. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say in those situations of profound loss, so sharing my work is another way to relate.”
“The door is open”
The door is open
Come inside
The door is open
Come, don’t hide
All the pain you carry deep inside
Yes one day love, it will all subside
The heavy burden will soon float away
Like a dark cloud on a stormy fall sky
And there will be a silver lining in it all
Yes, this was not your steepest fall
Yes, you still have the strength to stand
Here I am ready to hold your hand
I was always here to pick you up
From all that was poured into your life’s cup
Now open your eyes and you will see
The beauty of life awaits thee
But the key to it all is to look within
Stop worrying about what might be a sin
Right or wrong yes thinking makes it so
It’s our struggles that make our soul grow
The door is wide open love
Go ahead....step inside
It’s not the time to run
It’s not the time to hide
Finally, you are ready to conquer this tide
Copyright - Aisha Sethi
