Shrunken Heads

SHRUNKEN HEADS

Who believed the toads that fell,

swollen,

from his lips?

Provincial parasites in

dilating dystopias,

he whispers—they writhe;

he simpers—they sigh.

And she—

diamonds when she speaks,

pearls when she weeps,

petals when she smiles, and all the while

malachite whorls through a skull forged

for phrenology.

Smooth here, stone there—

fingers probe most secret framework,

scaffolding drafted by destiny.

Bump, lump . . . jump to the whys—

Why me? Why he? Why we?

Let it be.

We shrink: tiny teeth, deflating eyes, contracting tongues,

shrunken heads

spouting toads,

sparking diamonds,

on shoulders far too wide.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Seattle_-_Curiosity_Shop_-_shrunken_heads_02A.jpg