Exhibit 22 - Electric Bard

Climate set to fifteen degrees. Dusting off the tweed at the knees. Sister comes on Tuesday with a feather stick. Checks the glass, makes sure he isn't sick. Step behind the rope. Do not tap the pane. Watch a heavy posture going down the drain. He doesn't blink. He doesn't pay the rent. A monument to energy unspent. Retired from the chatter back in '93. Settled like a rock in the gallery. Monitor the silica. Check the brass lock. Ignore the ticking of the gallery clock. Step Right Up To Exhibit Twenty-Two! Not A Single Syllable Escaping Through! Quietest Display That The City Ever Seen! Washed And Pressed And Kept Completely Clean! No Voice Speaking In The Glass Case! Just Potassium Alum On A Paralyzed Face! ...Sister says he looks better this way... Mothballs in the pocket. Linen wrapped tight. Standing in the shadow, hiding from the light. Kindergarten tour takes a look and stares. Writing down the inventory of the vacant airs. Little girl whispers, is he gonna wake? Curator chuckles for the exhibition's sake. Left the heavy lifting on the gallery shelf. Total withdrawal of a man who lost himself. Retired from the chatter back in '93. Settled like a rock in the gallery. Monitor the silica. Check the brass lock. Ignore the ticking of the gallery clock. Step Right Up To Exhibit Twenty-Two! Not A Single Syllable Escaping Through! Quietest Display That The City Ever Seen! Washed And Pressed And Kept Completely Clean! No Voice Speaking In The Glass Case! Just Potassium Alum On A Paralyzed Face! ...Don't touch the glass!... Item A: The cardigan, buttoned up wrong. Item B: The silence where a voice belongs. Item C: The teacup, bone dry. Item D: The refusal to try. No pulse. No drama. No erratic beat. Permanent vacation on a one-way street. Step Right Up To Exhibit Twenty-Two! Not A Single Syllable Escaping Through! Quietest Display That The City Ever Seen! Washed And Pressed And Kept Completely Clean! No Voice Speaking In The Glass Case! Just Potassium Alum On A Paralyzed Face! ...Sister says he looks better this way... Exhibit twenty-two... Mind the braided rope... Kill the lights... Quiet in the glass tonight.