butcher’s hands

take three pounds of flesh and bone
cleave the block in two
trim the fat but leave the muscle
these hands must grip knives

use a boning blade
to fillet grooves between fingers
slice off the thumb tip
a destined loss

etch a jagged scar         across one broad palm
from middle finger to heel
a fate line
carve it as if this hand caught
a falling saw

score nicks and cuts on fingers        front and back
for rough texture
rub in porcine fat        palm and back
for softness

purge the thin red water
pour thick blood back into veins

keep these hands raw
for that sweet scent of autumn
of fresh rain mingling with decay

keep these hands raw
to deftly move        between the flesh of the dead
and that of the living

Time by Sally Warren