Oh the things I won’t try
to soften up this

gorgon heart of mine–
wine, up late

with the boxes that came
after the wake

what remains
is mostly Fujichrome,

frozen smiles, some trinkets
and baubles, a hat

he always wore when fishing,
with its cartoon shrimp dancing–

I had to stop the exercise.
Some materials are just not

malleable, yes this could
be a carapace to shed,

a loss of protection
in order to grow,

or the cracks might go
straight through

the core, just how
would I know?