look says Dr. Tulp I am the city’s foremost
see how I hold the forceps pull out
tendon from bone folder patiently
lifting sinews I make the criminal
a marionette, understandable
surgery is an event like any other
buy tickets find a bleacher eat
your apples and help me find
the spleen you will find the smell
like waffle batter almost pleasant
or a wet dog in the rain but Dr. Tulp
says the student he is already dead
to which Dr. Tulp replies I know
but do you want to see his epicondyles
the artist’s hand impressed upon
his navel your own stunned face
hello Amsterdam and thank you
it is quite dark in here
the room has the effect of a candle
in a grotto a thoracic compartment
none of it is in the handbook
not your lace collar or dark hood
the fruitlike layout of the man
on the table or his hands
maybe he will leave the shop next time
with his satchel empty
Josh Ascherman is a poet and painter based in Brooklyn, New York. He has an MFA in poetry from Brooklyn College.
GULLY MAGAZINE 