Pertaining to the organs,
in the body, not the immense pipe organ upstairs
of the congregation of my grandmother’s Lutheran church
but just as intense, and that instrument penetrated my body
surgically.
I was taking anatomy and physiology towards a medical coding degree
and a stable day job,
describing how we copied pictures and plastic models
though not cadavers
while he had me drawing a cow skull in charcoal
to distract him from his feelings I talked about the organ systems
I was learning.
The heart, huh? he said. And the lungs
I replied quickly in one breath.
I drew him the pancreas and put it in an envelope, said
Happy birthday
And the professor brought in a real heart
ripped from a dead man’s chest
for us to examine.
crzywise 