For Michael: Physician’s Assistant, FMLN guerilla, jungle surgeon
He picks up from the tray
Surgical scissors, forceps, a gauze sponge
His work heals the body
The tools become the work
Become his hands
Become him
In El Salvador in la selva he was a guerilla
To heal the body of a country
To bring el pueblo
Dignity
Victory
Sovereignty
His hands picked up from the dirt
A Tokarev pistol
An AK-47 rifle
A grenade
These tools became the work
Became his hands
Became him
All the while he dreamed of peace
When he would only heal, never hurt
When he would use only medical instruments
Hypodermic, scalpel, retractor
After a time it became the same
Guerilla, healer
On the tray he sees
The gauze sponge, the AK,
The forceps, the Tokarev,
The surgical scissors,
The grenade
His dextrous hands choose
The right tool for the job