The Surgeon

(Published in Across the Long Bridge Anthology of Prize Winning Poems, 2005)

The surgeon is built like a barrel
he is proud of his importance
which he carries in his belly
as he barrels down the corridor
of the attractive and immaculate hospital

Where he performs orthopaedic miracles
with awls and saws and other instruments
used nonchalantly in meat markets
for the past many centuries
as he breaks bones,
twists muscles and ligaments
with the flair and self-confidence
and cynical sense of humour
of a medieval torturer

Long ago his presence changed residence
and moved to the most prestigious neighbourhood;
he lives a short walking distance from God
to Whom he graciously grants free consultations
when the aches and pains of the world
have become too much of a burden for Him

And with Whom he visits on occasion
when the conversation of mortals
has become too much of a bore.
The surgeon has found that the quiet in this region
helps soothe thoughts that sometimes overwhelm him
on those rare occasions when he stops to ponder
the pain of his patients post operation
or (but this he really does not think about often)
the sometimes less than acceptable outcomes
of said operations

One day, as he relaxes in God’s lounge chair
near the Pool of Serenity
there is a moment when he is surprised
by feelings of sudden vulnerability

Meekly he asks the Lord
to keep him forever free
from the need for orthopaedic surgery

© 2004 Helen Bar-Lev