Babe the Pig Does the Sheep-Noise When Mourning Its Sheep Mother*
grief is an animal. we all know that. but which animal
exactly? what kingdom, what family, is it ever a fish?
does its voice change as it leaves the body or is there
a bestiary somewhere in the chest?
great bone ark that crates and creates each heaving
lamentation. remakes the grieved thing as noise.
at the televised funeral the ingenue performs the gone
singer’s living song and for a moment is overtaken
slow howl opening the painted cage of her mouth.
when S died i made sounds i haven’t made since.
it came into me as wind. it rode me as wind