for Dr. Love

Then there is the moment      when we are asked                                                          

to open               our palms        curl

              our fingers

                                             to receive          what                    skipped

                            operated     with                         impulse                   solely

                                                                          to accept          this

                                                                          collection

                                                                          of cells              once

                                                           examined         below   scope

                            would appear     striated             but not              just

                            striated                               specialized

                                             this organ         of pulse

                                             and organ         ization

                            this synergist                   of breath

                            a muscle          of varying                         mass

                            with      which                   desire               was

                                           implied                volumes           read

              between             an inner                              most

              smooth               a novel                    of

                            unending                                           until

                                                       the moment           before
                                                       the moment           before now

__

When I first started cadaver lab, I was easily one of the most squeamish. Throughout the year our gross anatomy professor, Dr. Love, kept encouraging us to unwrap the body as a present. By the time January arrived, our rib cages neatly sawed off in advance, I was ready to hold more than one heart in my hands.