The Healer

There are days I am disillusioned,
When I am bereft of my purpose,
Alone in my office,
Peering out my window
While the rain is pouring down.

Then I read their words,
Hear their voices,
Remember their faces, 
And relish their smiles.
Then I remember. . .

I am a champion for the learners,
A guide on their journey.
Their passion inspires me, 
And though I am their teacher,
They are teaching me.

I am not a healer,
Nor have I held a life in my hands.
Yet I peered into the eyes of those
Who will one day be healers
And hold my life in theirs.

Though I profess the intricacies
Of the body,
The art of the human form,
They convey a more noble cause
To restore it when broken.

They are my students.
I am but their teacher.
Since they give my life meaning,
Though they are not yet healers,
They are already healing me.

Edgar Meyer, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences.