Artist Statement
This poem explores the shifting rhythms of attention as both a challenge and a gift in the life of a student of medicine. It illuminates the path toward knowledge and healing. Woven into its lines is the tension between effort and rest, intellect and care, science and humanity. The imagery of fire and thread reflects how learning is not only about the consumption of information, but also the shaping of character. Ultimately, the poem affirms that rest, presence, and attention are not distractions from becoming a healer, but integral to the art of it.
Recommended Citation
Petrillo, Ahron J.
(2025)
"The Gift of Attention,"
be Still: Vol. 10, Article 21.
Available at:
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/bestill/vol10/iss1/21
Included in
Creative Writing Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Photography Commons
About the Artist
Ahron Petrillo is a fourth year medical student who turns to writing as a way of making sense of the shifting pace of study, rest, and care. His poems grow out of late nights, small moments of wonder, and the search for balance between the demands of medicine and the quiet presence needed to truly listen. Writing, for him, is both reflection and refuge—an attempt to hold onto the human side of becoming a healer.