Song for a Scar
because they said wait here
five minutes
but after ten the doctors rushed
to beeping machines
and the scar is proof
you did not die
– – – – – – – –
because they’d pitched
their tent above
the groundsheet of your body
and pulled our tether
taut as a guy line
and still a mask peered over canvas
saying less laughter please
I’m rearranging you
in stitches
– – – – – – – –
because your body is hale
as a glistening seashell
opening a shelter then
sealing shut its completion
and your scar knits pain
into strings of pearled tissue
– – – – – – – –
because it cuts across a rift
as cleanly as a smile
but it is your own mouth
that opens in speech