Ed Sage

The Muck
.

I want bodies
and body parts
to stop mattering –

I want the shape
and their names
to go, go, go away –

I want to think
about the parts
less: the roundness

of this the hardness
of that the length
of such the smoothness

the wetness the pulling
the tugging the itching
the scratching: I want it

all done I want it
all gone, tucked away,
pitted, dissected,

covered in layers,
buried, tombstoned –
I’d rather focus

on my meal. I’d rather
focus on the dairy
deliciousness of cheese –

I don’t care which
cheese: processed,
wrapped, gorgonzola-ed,

aged and crumbled –
I want my arteries
to be expansive

I’ll bite my cheeks
no more, I’ll show
canker sores the door!

I’ll never be full –
just more cheese
and more butter –

more butter and more
bread. And steak!
I don’t want the FDA

to calculate my body
weight, saturated fats
slippery on my lips

to make my tongue hum,
my teeth sing, my throat
moan. I want to be done

with the body’s mess –
I want the salt, just the salt.
I want the sugar, not the

sticky. I want joy
that doesn’t require
cleaning up –