Skip to main content

Winning Entry: Poetry Category

THE SHATTERED SOUL

My mind is a bird with broken wings

Wandering in this dark and heavily pregnant sky

The cloud roars up the whirlwind

Heartbroken and numb with grief

As I sit relishing a last gleam of sunlight

A rocket surge in Covid-19 cases

And the death that comes with it

Near me, 

Rays of hope rise from the Qur'an

Words of peace tingling my thoughts, 

"Allah will bring about ease after difficulty"

The story of Ayyub is like a vase fallen down the flight of stairs unbroken

"... so be not of the despairing"

Beautiful to behold is our unsung hero, the pharmacist, 

See how she braces us and  delivers the balm to our scourge, 

Incarnating love that perches our soul

Like parrot perching on shoulders in  a mine craft

With low gear for safety, 

Drugs are stretched and spread from her love and care, 

Just to keep at bay our illnesses

She grasps at straw and aims  to relieve us of the pandemic, 

But my heart catches fire and  tastes the bitterness of the price she pays 

I sit here as my tongue fades into a desert, 

The ants returning to their cave

Will I come out of this jungle of distress alive?

The pharmacist says hope for peace and relief

As the sun will shine and the rain will cease

—

JIMOH Abdullateef's The Shattered Soul won the first prize in the poetry category of the Pharmaceutical Muslim Students Society of Nigeria's Annual Writing Contest.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pharmacy Beyond the Counter Iss 1

  Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh . We begin in the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. May peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muḥammad (S.A.W.), his family, his companions, and all who follow their path. We pray that Allah makes this new publication a means of knowledge, benefit, and service to our communities, and that He accepts it from all who contribute to it. Aameen. Pharmacy Beyond the Counter What Does It Mean to Go “Beyond the Counter”? Pharmacy Beyond the Counter is a fresh, bi-weekly publication of PMSSN national Secretariat (University of Ilorin) dedicated to showcasing the evolving, multifaceted role of the pharmacists in Nigeria and beyond. In every issue, we will shine a light on the unseen dimensions of pharmacy practice, clinical care, public health, research, leadership, and service, and reconnect these roles to our rich Islamic heritage of knowledge and compassion. Our aim:   To inspire Muslim pharmacy st...
Post a Comment
Read more

PHARMACY BEYOND THE COUNTER ISSUE 6 (DECEMBER, 2025)

 Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. We begin in the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. May peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), his family, his companions, and all who follow their path with sincerity. In this issue of Pharmacy Beyond the Counter, we explore a topic that is rapidly shaping the future of healthcare: telepharmacy . As the world moves deeper into the digital age, technology is reshaping not just how we live, but how we seek care, access health information, and interact with healthcare professionals. Among these emerging innovations, telepharmacy stands out as one of the most transformative— bridging gaps, expanding access, and redefining what pharmacy practice can look like in our evolving world. THE RISE OF TELEPHARMACY W ith technology advancing at a pace faster than ever before, the world of healthcare is evolving alongside it, moving toward a global shift that continues to reshap...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pharmacy Beyond the Counter Issue 5 (November 26, 2025)

 Pharmacists Roles in Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. We begin in the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. May peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his family, his companions, and all who follow their path with sincerity. Alhamdulillah, welcome to the fifth issue of Pharmacy Beyond the Counter, a publication committed to showcasing the depth and responsibility of our noble profession. In this journey, we have explored counselling, community engagement, and the unseen duties that make pharmacy a calling rooted in service and integrity. In this issue, we turn our attention to a global health threat that grows silently every day: antimicrobial resistance . As pharmacists and pharmacy students, this is not just another scientific topic; it is an urgent amanah. How we respond today could determine the safety of future generations. Understanding the Weight of Antimicrobial Resistance Antimicr...
Post a Comment
Read more