Post Mortem
In high school, we were taught all about poetry.
How to carefully lay a poem on the table
and with steady hands, slice it from top to bottom with a scalpel.
Removing visceral verbs and weighing them,
Thinly slicing phrases and examining cross-sections under a microscope,
Poking and prodding for hidden metaphors -
That was how we revealed the author's intent.
For the living, we would carefully reassemble the pieces before burial.
What a joy it is to briefly hold a living poem,
feels its breath on your cheek,
and let it run free.
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