I picked a beautiful thing
until it was down to its bones,
laid out in front of me,
turning to the next person
I proclaim;- “it is as I thought,
it is a skeleton beneath!”
And just like the watches and motors,
we took apart to understand
how they worked,
only to find we couldn’t
put them back together again,
I hold only bones in my hands;
collagen and calcium,
made porous by my pecking,
I realise, to my cost,
I cannot remake muscles
or ligaments, I cannot breathe
back the spirit through its missing mouth.
All the time forgetting
it’s not just hands and mouths
that need to eat,
but also the ravens,
and the mongoose,
also the maggots.