Narrated by Robin Gow
Illustration by Sue Babcock
The lab report tells the narrative of a dissected shark. Label: heart brain kidneys feathers lockets fears torment firecracker summer 2017 the smooth rocks a lost sandal I draw arrows to label all these items inside the shark. I stick the scalpels in the walls to keep them still while I work. Still they quiver and crave their own arrows. Arrows grow out of my mouth and point to all the things I’ve eaten: the beautiful names of moons the beautiful quadrantes of patchwork space. One arrow says: This is where he-she ate a tablespoon of hope. I think this is definitely a lie because I would have remembered eating hope what with all the feathers and the songbird singing. I focus on the shark I took apart. I ask the shark if the arrows hurt and the shark cries formaldehyde. I tell the shark to point to help me find its eyes and the shark pulls them out of its stomach: two glinting brooches someone’s mom used to wear.
BIO: Robin Gow is a poet and LGBTQ+ educator. His first full-length poetry collection is forthcoming with Tolsun Books and his second is forth-coming with Weasel Press. Robin has facilitated LGBTQ+ inclusivity trainings for universities and healthcare networks across the country.