A Revision:

Biography

in the thrashing we shed
bodily parts

organs distilled
from stars

bouts of compassion
compel us to lie

the water is warm
we are in love

it is enough to be a body
for someone else

Reverse Edit

The bug puts to
pounds its twin.

This disaster
makes quick calamity
of you.

I lay peace meal
over the cavities
but then your

Your eyes become
eyes again and resist.

It's drafty in here!

For Mark

We needed this.
A casket the remainder
Of absence.
He was gone before
The body stopped.
That hyena cackle
Was not him. A ringed coffee
Stain on the kitchen
Table on the tip of his nose
Not him.
A damaged screen door
Twined rosaries not him.
There was a radio,
The charade of basic human
Interest. A belt, a dollar
Bill, a cigarette, a brother.
Not him.
These things describe us.
They are what we needed.
A prayer card. We needed this.
A will. A group home. A
Reason. We needed this.
He was sick.
The medication he
Never swallowed we
Swallowed it. Someone
Had to get better.
Someone had to survive.