02-22-2017, 11:56 PM
edit 2
Precision
Piss in a bottle
shit in a jar
bleed in a vial
have your gut scanned ~
all to find out
medically
just how you are.
Answer the phone
voice-printing “yes”
leave fingerprints,
mucus, saliva,
semen or hair ~
then all will know
forensically
just who you are.
Live as you’ve read
stare at the stars
envy the birds,
a baby, the dead ~
then you may know
just what you are
empirically.
Thanks again to all the critics. In two minds about reversing the other two trailing couplets as well (my mind is small indeed, hence ts enormous consistency hobgoblin), but this variation seems to work. Also simplified the last stanza generally, removing some embroidery to better match the others' plainness.
@Lizzie
One discarded idea was to change "forensically" to "identically," but too long a stem down to the "id" root then back up to "identity."
Precision
Piss in a bottle
shit in a jar
bleed in a vial
have your gut scanned ~
all to find out
medically
just how you are.
Answer the phone
voice-printing “yes”
leave fingerprints,
mucus, saliva,
semen or hair ~
then all will know
forensically
just who you are.
Live as you’ve read
stare at the stars
envy the birds,
a baby, the dead ~
then you may know
just what you are
empirically.
Thanks again to all the critics. In two minds about reversing the other two trailing couplets as well (my mind is small indeed, hence ts enormous consistency hobgoblin), but this variation seems to work. Also simplified the last stanza generally, removing some embroidery to better match the others' plainness.
@Lizzie
One discarded idea was to change "forensically" to "identically," but too long a stem down to the "id" root then back up to "identity."
Non-practicing atheist

