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EMBALMER, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: There is an embalmer who operates


There is an embalmer who operates
with one of Madonna Gioconda's hairpins;
in place of blood and nerve ganglions,
in the small sacs of dried-up artery
he puts muslin lace, sea-sponge and sawdust of bones
of the harlot Magdalen.

He uses tanned marmot-gut for stitches.
He is accompanied by a blind dog.
And by a parrot that stammers apologies for the relatives
of the one who's being feted.

Today he will attempt his daily embalming
with a nice creature called Eleazar:
kings and governors have followed Eleazar
without his ever having used
madder roots or laurel leaves
and today Eleazar will invoke Avzhia, angel of presence.

The dog already turns its putrefied eyes
to where it thinks it hears a giant nightingale
extricate itself from a thicket.


Used by permission of Story Line Press.




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