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2011-10-08T22:34:56-07:00October 8th, 2011|Musings on life|

The last meal

They offer to feed him
whatever he wants
a special meal.

Tomorrow they will stop
his heart
put an end
to him.

But he doesn’t think
of all that now
he eats chicken-fried steak
and lobster
gives away pieces of
chocolate cake.

What he did
years ago
he doesn’t deny it
it makes my face go numb
like that time I saw a rhinoceros
gore a woman’s leg
the softness of hanging flesh
the dry white
of bone.

The nest of blame
is too complex for my brain
to unpin
his decency was beaten out of him
from the beginning
he never learned the words
for please
no.

The ice cream arrives
caramel sauce and nuts
he doesn’t know he is agreeing
to leave them alone
a contract
forgiving them
just in case.

All he knows is sleep comes
fast and warm that night
despite the wretched promise of tomorrow
he has never been
so loved.

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