Difficult Body

    A story： There was a cow in the road， struck by a semi——

    half-moon of carcass and jutting¹ legs， eyes

    already milky² with dust and snow， rolled upward

    as if tired of this world tilted³ on its side.

    We drove through the pink light of the police cruiser，

    her broken flank blowing steam in the air.

    Minutes later， a deer sprang onto the road

    and we hit her， crushed her pelvis——the drama reversed，

    first consequence， then action——but the doe，

    not dead， pulled herself with front legs

    into the ditch. My father went to her， stunned⁴ her

    with a tire iron before cutting her throat， and today I think

    of the body of St. Francis in the Arizona desert，

    carved from wood and laid in his casket，

    lovingly dressed in red and white satin

    covered in petitions——medals， locks of hair，

    photos of infants， his head lifted and stroked，

    the grain of his brow kissed by the penitent⁵.

    O wooden saint， dry body. I will not be like you，

    carapace⁶. A chalky shell scooped⁷ of its life.

    I will leave less than this behind me.