On Stone Operation , Rembrandt
Published in
Jan 5, 2024
A Poem by Robbi Nester
Three figures huddle in the frame,
one, with a needle, delves for
the “headache stone,” said
to be buried in the soft folds
of the brain. Another holds a candle,
shedding both light and shadow.
The patient clenches his fists
against the pain.
The one who bears the flame
has been a recent patient. A linen
bandage binds his hair, stiff, straw-
yellow as the bristles of a broom.
He and the others take their turns
at playing surgeon. Each bears
a pocketful of bloody pebbles
to show patients the product
of their search.
