upstate medical university center for bioethics and humanities

Heal Thyself

B.A. St. Andrews

Begin by remembering
your heart is a plum
and green is the season

of time. Put down
scalpel; put down pen.
You wait in white light

for a reason. To do nothing
is a difficult task.
You are meant to sit

in high silence. This dangerous
paying attention
requires the dominion of

the moment: the ant climbs
its blade of sweet grass;
skin whispers secrets

against your will.
The aim of all quieting
is to pierce the heart

of the target. As muscle
masters bone the soul
assumes its body.

This poem has been reprinted by the Wells College Book Arts Center in a collection of Dr. St. Andrews' poems, Learning from Renoir. Ordering information can be obtained by contacting them at:

Wells Book Arts Center
Wells College
170 Main Street
Aurora, New York 13026
315-364-3420

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