fall (apart)

we spent all night eating buttons
& telling each other "you look fine."
have you ever been in a state
of total panic but
like a rabbit
you stand still & can only listen to
your pocket watch heart?
i have & there was a microwave sound
going as if i was reheating 
my organs one at a time.
have you been a slice of deli meat?
petals of cow. petals of pig.
we are all the meat flower. unless of course
you are vegan & then you are
searching always for the old taste
of milk & butter. i believe all animals
have a seam we can find 
& pull & watch them come apart.
i have done this to others.
limbs in a piles. girls in a locker room
& the neighbor man without an eye,
they did this back to me. they kept the thread
to floss their teeth.
do not let anyone fool you.
you do not need to come apart
in order to fit the leaves 
inside you. you do not need 
to kill the bird for more buttons.
they are everywhere or so i am told.
i think some people take off their arms
for fun. for us though
we take them off to use as oars.
the river is full of whales.
if unfurled they would be 
a field of sofas. come, let's numb
the nerves. let's watch some reality tv.
some commercial salad. 
buy a ripe plantain. fry 
& eat it with our fingers 
fresh from the pan.