The Descent

May 24, 2026 Poetry
By Sohail Daulat, Andres Diaz, Daaniyal Quddus, Ayesha A Waheed, Joseph Maroon

Prestige has a short half-life;

my quiet presumption of permanence,

of admiring hums in bright rooms,

fell away without ceremony.

The world dimmed,

momentum drained from days.

My life’s scaffolding collapsed:

small fractures widened into breaks,

and I crumbled with them,

piece by piece

                                                                           until nothing

                                                                                        remained.

                                                                                                      Slowly,

 

            

                                                                                                                            I learned how to breathe in the dark,

                                                                                                        cautiously collecting fragments of a stranger self

                                                                                                                        I was no longer certain I wished to find.

About Sohail Daulat 1 Article
Sohail Daulat is a medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson who conducts computational and clinical research. His work spans clinical outcomes, machine learning applications, and large database analyses. He aims to integrate data-driven approaches into clinical decision-making to advance personalized medicine. He has several hobbies, including playing basketball and writing poems.