Death Nesting - Prepared For View

Laid on a table of stainless steel, the tag on the toe makes the silence real. Scalpel lines trace what time has done, the trocar waits when the wash is done. Forceps set and sutures drawn, arterial tubes are fastened on. The blood is drained, the fluid flows, formaldehyde where lifeblood goes. Wash the skin, secure the eyes, set the mouth where the silence lies. Pack the wounds, stitch the seams, dress the flesh with patient means. Lay them down for all to mourn, make them ready to be reborn. With wounds concealed, the work of stillness is revealed. Cotton swabs for the lips and nose, eyecaps placed so the sockets close. Incision stitched with steady thread, the hands are folded, the color spread. Cosmetic brush for the pallid skin, powder covers where pallor shows. A mask of peace where death has been, A final face the mourner knows. Wash the skin, secure the eyes, set the mouth where the silence lies. Pack the wounds, stitch the seams, dress the flesh with patient means. Lay them down for all to mourn, make them ready to be reborn. With wounds concealed, the work of stillness is revealed. Scalpel, trocar, cannula line, the record signed with name and time. Cavity drained, the needle tied, nothing left but the form supplied. Every body tells its tale: scars and stitches, teeth grown frail. I keep no secrets, I only bind, the shell that’s left, the trace behind. Wash the skin, secure the eyes, set the mouth where the silence lies. Pack the wounds, stitch the seams, dress the flesh with patient means. Lay them down for all to mourn, make them ready to be reborn. With wounds concealed, the work of stillness is revealed. On the table, cold and true, The body lays, prepared for them, prepared for view.