After all flesh is flensed,
the shape of the fish
is leaf, or the hull of a boat—
Flattened and dried
to the hue of balsa, whole
schools swim in waterless air.
In the dried fish market,
it’s hard to disregard
the certainty of what
they know: smell and taste
of sun-dried putrefaction,
gifts of salt and leathered skin
the body wants to hold on to
for as long as it possibly can.
[LAG-other-response url=”https://www.vianegativa.us/2015/07/diagnosis/” title=”Via Negativa: Diagnosis”]