The bones are showing

through the ceiling, bare bones

dew ribs, dripping wet ribs, uncovered

and on show, surgeon hesitating

keeping this patient alive

without operating, without the knife

or the blue sheet to keep the dust

in place inside these wet ribbed bones.

Wet ribbed bones, wet ribbed bones,

poking through the ceiling, cartoon,

loony tunes skeleton playing on the xylophone

as I stand beneath the patient,

looking up, looking for the light,

at the end of this rib cage tunnel

and wondering when the sutures

will heal and the meat ball surgery

finished, leaving a band aid there for now

sending the patient home

with two aspirin and two hot air

cleaners, blowing the dust

into the patient’s wet rib cage heart.

Ian D. Hall 2018