It’s like developing a photograph

in reverse

First the detail is sharp

then the chemicals begin

their deconstruction

Soon all that’s left of a person

are bits and pieces –

the blue of an iris,

the fierce dot of a pupil,

crooked, real teeth

in a hard, soft mouth,

the way the neck meets the shoulders,

a ring on an elegant hand…

The effort of holding these pieces

together becomes ludicrous

Time eats the image blank

till there’s just a sheet of paper

with an ache on it

and even that will go.