As/Is







4.19.2004


evidence



[evidence]

grandpa fisherman oversees the suturing:
fishtails to primate torsos, post-mortem.
materials include fishbone needles,

human hair, pincher ants’ mandibles.
sprinkling crystallized salts to desiccate,
his hands dance in fish-cleaning manner.

the art, grandpa says, is in matching
the corpses. to suture is to fix a hole.
trashy talismans bring dollars to tip jars.