OUT OF MY HANDS
“Je le pansai, Dieu le guérit”
—Ambroise Paré
a Gelport opens Heaven’s Gate
carbonated air inflates the dome
a laparoscope spies the scene
my finger crosses Toldt’s white line
my hand sweeps Gerota’s fascial plane
the cancer bulges into view
draped in parasitic veins
I clip the ureter, staple the hilum
exorcise the mass
I sprinkle holy water in the renal fossa
and chant behind my mask:
Consummatum Est
Out of my hands
Stephen G. Weiss II has a BA in English from the University of Iowa and an MFA in creative writing from Stetson University, as well as an MD. He is a practicing urologic surgeon in Florida, where he lives with his wife and daughter.