Leprosy
By Anonymous
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling, a rash, or a discoloration, and it develops into a scaly affection on the skin of his body, it shall be reported to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons, the priests. The priest shall examine the affection on the skin of his body…(Vayikra 13:1-3)
Who will disregard his lofty status
to roll up pristine sleeves
and look the patient fully in the eye?
Who will meet the anxious gaze
and smile a friendly smile
that owes nothing to pretension
but bridges the divide
between the dauntless healer
and the would-be healed?
Who will lay his hands on blemished skin,
will gently touch the oozing sores
and probe the scaly scourge
and not recoil from fearsome wounds
reflected in the desperation etched
upon a stricken face?
Who will yield professional aloofness
for some kindly human comfort
and tend the desolation of disease?
Who will air the painful unasked questions
and pay attention to the softly voiced response
and listen to the feelings left unspoken
and know that both are wounded, bound together
and balanced at the edge of the ravine?
