Words of a Feather ─ The Mystic Musings of a Medical Man

This four-part collection of poems chronicles a tumultuous and intense phase in my life. Dashed into the throes of life – its ecstasies and its agonies – and a close witness (in my work as a medical doctor) to the human condition, I found solace in expressing the restless inferno raging within my psyche.
The poems were written as they ‘arrived’, sometimes after ward-rounds and frequently on public transport. Occasionally, they would arrive in the shower, forcing me to leap out and rapidly pen whatever words did ‘flash upon that inward eye’, before they vanished into nothingness. I wrote on inspiration and the objects of my reflection always proved a most wonderful muse.

John FW Ndikum is a medical doctor who composed his first published poem at the age of thirteen. He went on to win the Bedfordshire section of the Future Writers (Remus House) poetry competition at the age of seventeen, securing £2,000 for his sixth form in the process. An intense period of introspection in his early twenties plunged him into the depths of his psychological world, resulting in an unexpected phase of prolific creative output. He emerged from this inner journey with numerous poems as his prize and a greater clarity about his place and purpose in the world. It is his hope that those who shall find themselves in a similar position may find peace, comfort and inspiration in his words. John’s continued dedication to improving the health of populations has led him to Yale School of Public Health, where he will commence his studies in July 2017. In the Spring of the same year, he will be getting married to his fiancée and love of his life, Sophie Wickham. He currently lives in Hertfordshire, England, where he continues his vocational work as a junior physician in Internal Medicine.