it huddles warmly
in the nook of a shoulder
the joint cleared of its tendons
& muscles,
arteries, some nerves.
it sleeps unaware
that its resting is permanent
that its removal would be fatal
to the host. soon
flesh will close around it,
the tendons will thread
back together,
the muscles mend,
the arteries will adjust
around its pointed shape,
the nerves will remember
their existence.
& it will be buried
as if its pain
never happened.
2020
Regular
Contemporary
2023
Violence & War
Imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work
Personification
the attribution of human qualities to a non-human thing