from we take me apart--



by the bony structure of the upper limb—

we take me apart—

by joints between the humerus and the shoulder girdle—Grandma wore
girdles played basement Bingo at assisted living won quarters she gave in
Ziploc bags crumpled envelopes “This is for you” I visited obligatory
holidays sat staring at emergency cord so long it snaked fibrous from
every room so if she fell she could cartilaginous crawl pull “You’re my
angel” she said when Grandpa died I took her to synovial see him before
he died “You’re my angel” she sold her house moved into Autumn Oaks
bingo—

we take me apart—

by movements of the arm—she held my arm Christmas eve three glasses
of wine red fibrous wine I never drank cartilaginous wine I never drank
synovial nineteen years old parents fibrous fighting cartilaginous
Grandma sweet synovial ignoring her daughter fibrous her daughter’s
husband cartilaginous her own husband in the nursing home synovial with
a flu fibrous after dinner it’s cartilaginous time to synovial take her home
I took her fibrous home three glasses of red cartilaginous wine snow
swirling slick synovial get her home get off the fibrous road get home “Do
you want to see Grandpa?” cartilaginous “Yes” synovial twenty minutes
out of the way fibrous drunk cartilaginous they kissed I waited in the hall
synovial heard “Merry Christmas” fibrous “Merry Christmas”
cartilaginous “I love you” synovial “I love you too” fibrous they kissed
she came cartilaginous into the hall synovial smiled looked so small in her
winter coat her pink beret purse clutched under arm I took her home “Thank
you for taking me to see him” “No problem” snow turned to ice fibrous I
drove home cartilaginous when I opened the door synovial my mother
fibrous waiting said “Grandpa’s dead. We have to go” we cartilaginous
picked up my grandmother my father synovial honked her porch light
came on she came out she locked the door looked so small fibrous so
small cartilaginous she walked to the car I slid over she sat synovial
beside me in the back seat “You’re my angel” she held my arm—

we take me apart—

by joint and movements of the elbow—“They look like soldiers” she said
as my father drove soldiers I thought soldiers what an image Grandma’s a
poet fibrous she meant the bushes hedges trees covered cartilaginous
beneath one two three feet of snow synovial lined up like battalions in
fibrous fronts as if sentinels and cartilaginous who will watch over us
synovial now—

we take me apart—

by joints and movements of the hand—she held my hand in the back seat
fibrous Mom and Dad in front cartilaginous Dad driving to nursing home
Mom a wreck hate love relationship with her father Grandma synovial
saying “You’re my angel” I’m no fibrous angel I’m cartilaginous nineteen
all I synovial do is fibrous fuck cartilaginous boys I don’t synovial know
fibrous why cartilaginous not why synovial wouldn’t I why fibrous
shouldn’t I cartilaginous I’m synovial miserable I’m fibrous in California
I hate California after Grandpa I cartilaginous come home to synovial
Ohio fibrous fuck I cartilaginous hate synovial Ohio—

we take me apart—

by joints and movements of the fingers—you finger me fibrous and when I
cartilaginous come it’s as if lightning synovial bolts through from fibrous
end to cartilaginous end and is this synovial strange to think Grandma
think fibrous Grandpa and how they kissed on Christmas eve and said “I
love you” “I love you too” and their names were James and Lucille and I
miss you cartilaginous I love you I miss you I love you I miss you I love
you I miss you synovial I miss you I love you I fibrous miss you I love
you my sentinels my angels I miss you I cartilaginous love you and my

parents can’t get it together so fuck them synovial I hate them fibrous fuck

them cartilaginous I love you I miss you I love you I miss you I miss you

I miss. you I miss you and you and you and you don’t synovial stop don’t

fibrous stop don’t cartilaginous stop I’m synovial coming I’m fibrous

coming I'm cartilaginous synovial coming—

we take me apart—

Molly Gaudry edits Willows Wept Review and Willows Wept Press, co-edits Twelve Stories, and is an associate editor for Keyhole Magazine. Scantily Clad Press published her first e-chapbook of poems, Bloody Floral Sandals, and Publishing Genius Press will publish the first chapter, "Problems of Depiction," of Mourning Land: A Biomythography as part of its This PDF Chapbook series. Find her online HERE.