Tuesday 27 December 2011

155

The wound became infected
            And in the end Hollis
                        Had to use the pneumatic
Stungun in the barn to
            Kill it, and we strung it
                        Up from the crossbeam.
Dead, its musculature
            Hung loose from the frame
                        Of its skeleton and it was
Possible to see the chamber
            Of its ribcage and the
                        Sinews of its underbelly
Like the undercarriage
            Of a motorcar or any other
                        Kind of outer chassis.
The eyes had glassed over
            And the jaw hung loose
                        And the tongue was white.
It was not long dead and
            Still hot enough that steam
                        Rose from it in the cold air.
Hollis smirked. He took a pole
            From the wall and gouged
                        At its abdomen. It swung
And the rope creaked and
            The beam and its shadow
                        Swung faintly on the wall.
I had bile in my throat and
            I wanted to knock Hollis down,
                        And had to hold myself back.

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