print previewback ANDREW KOZMA
Body Bags
Morgue man, cadaverous tooth, smile unhinged
at the cocoon before you. Inside that silk robe
lies a body unpleasant to look upon, but your job
is to ferry all corpses from womb to grave.
Do not speak of the soul. Our spirits
preserve our flesh and good humor, but fail
at keeping us alive. In 1842, a shipwrecked privateer
and her crew survived on barrels of rum
for as long as it took them to die. O Cloud of Flies,
O Deathwatch Beetle, you are the man every man
wants to be, birthing citizens of the final world.
What remains tells a story, but that story is an end.
Sad-mouthed man, the born butterfly ruins the body
of the dead caterpillar. What a loss. Hurt heart,
properly preserved, our skins will last forever. 
Body Bags
Karen Greenlee
Manifesto