HELENA KAMINSKI

"Face"

____________________

Eye is late.

Got stopped in the a.m.

Got roughed up.

Had its camera smashed.

Rumored shot.

Rumored released.

Ear taped downtown, today.

But it’s due back.

Just press “jungle” rewind and play.

Lip lies back on its unmade bed.

Don’t shrug at me.

Where are they?

Eye took much shit.

Often, reporting back,

Got cut off before getting to the

Crux of what it saw.

Ear talented. Talented. Maybe bionic.

Dogs lined up for lessons.

The day eye played it its video

Of mouth yapping about “Life”

As a School for the

Deaf, ear burst, and underwent

A slow, shocked healing.

Neighbours say

Things went on

That can’t go on

Within a skull.

Why the waste

God why?

Mouth won

Because eye watched

Ear watch mouth

Bulldoze them both.

A writer wrote,

“This is where war turned civil.”

Did the bush, grey with road dust

Kneel in near-defeat?

Did the sky mutter

Its crisis?

Don’t remember.

Was mouth good or pretty

Bad? Was it

Don’t remember.

Mouth, like Fidel

Spoke for five hours.

It’s late.

It’s very late.

Damn it. 

Who’s in charge?

Lip lies back

Along the face,

Dazed body at the beach

On its pale towel.

Why aren’t they

Where could

Ask mouth.

Mouth is boss.