The Loophole, by M.R. Bessac
After Ward’s Science, Dogfish Shark Dissection Guide
A loophole, we proudly titled it.
If we draw our carving knives,
cut with mercy, like trampling
gory roadkill, we’d save it from suffering.
Carefully cut
through the muscle caudal to the mouth
until the heart can be revealed.
Our gap in the cosmic realm:
A scheme for our last breath
replaced with a pinky promise.
(It’s okay to cut the shark because
we can’t do it to ourselves.)
Cut
through the conus arteriosus as close
to the mouth as possible.
If my hand slipped too fast.
Fuzzy socks and my early Sunday mornings,
alone in my room, the AC on full blast,
my hair is clean with what once was our shampoo.
Once the heart is removed,
bisect the heart.
Neither of us were blessed with a steady hand,
our carvings not painless, nor precise.
We held together long enough, it was only fair to fall apart.
A soft place to lay our heads, a tempting paradise.
Using a scalpel, cut
through the top of the stomach and the bottom
of the rectum to remove the digestive system.
When the worms and roaches
gorge on our salty organs,
they will leave our hearts.
We stayed sweet despite all our misfortunes.
– M.R. Bessac
M.R. Bessac is a writer from Hawaii and Texas. When not writing, she does track and field as a junior in high school. Her poems have been selected for Editor’s Choice in Teen Ink. She enjoys vanilla perfume and Liquid IV.
