i have taken myself
apart like those model kits
you know, the visible man
he had transparent skin
and you could see his skeleton
and organs but not his state
of mind
[though there was a small
pink brain in the tiny skull]
i open up
split in half
my body
an invisible canopic jar
pull out the spleen
the liver
the lungs
put them back
the wrong way
see if the plumbing still
works
leave out the heart
or the brain
you can’t have them both
working at the same time
instinct [which boils down
to what you want
and what you don’t want]
or reason
[but the brain is already
rubbish at that–did you
see the gorilla on the court?]
spleen
who the hell needs that
leave it out
when i shut the lid
on this transparent coffin
this brittle, see-through skin
i have less to worry about
than the visible woman
with her alternate pregnant form
Words and Feathers 
Reblogged this on NANMYKEL.COM and commented:
Great, fulfilling metaphor! Love the final lines, and “leave out the heart or the brain. You can’t have them both working at the same time.”
Thanks!
Anatomically incorrect on so many levels. YES, that’s why I loved it so. xo
Incorrect? Uh-oh. I better get a biology book.
Silly! I meant not having the brain and heart working in accordance. So true figuratively but not literally.
Whew! I was worried I might have getting the parts wrong!
Beautifully crafted and amazing wordplay. Absolutely loved it!
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Good work – especially apt since my grandchildren enjoyed playing with one of those sets in would. Graphically anatomically correct, I might add. 🙂
One of my favorite toys back in the day! I enjoyed putting him back the wrong way, too (which is kind of funny, because with Barbie dolls, I tried to make them more anatomically correct).
I hope you used markers.
Haha! Yes, it was markers… s’pose I should’ve specified!
Good job, Mr. Crow!
Thank you!