take something sharp
& begin

        observe

the crescent curve of his back
folded fullmoon        the rabbit world opens
        thickly; darkly bound these stitches

                you are bookbinder        cartographer
                historian: this body of work to be studied

the rabbit measures by its teeth
where all wisdom is stored        how it discovers
its existence        identity
        kit & kindle
                                its rabbit-proof

remove the incisors        these are your luck
the feet may be soft & more sightly
        yes, but they are
        merely decoration

knowledge is the greater fortune

        ask the rabbit on the tall ship
        the rabbit with the pocketwatch

        (((((

the ribs like bows unstrung        beware the sharp end
there will be no fairytale wound

                sleep awhile, if you will
                but expect no handsome visitor

its capped heart a flask for
what?        linseed oil?
        fodder for careful creatures
        ears raised & a phosphate thump

label the provinces:

        calcaneus        carpus        cranium        femur
        ilium        mandible        maxilla        phalanges
        radius        scapula        sternum        tibia

                                a rabbit atlas