The World's Face
Poetry by Dave Routliffe
The world's face
was lifted
Its belly tucked,
Its thighs liposuctioned,
Its breasts and cock enlarged,
legs waxed,
steroids injected.
All she wanted was more sex,
a body that could not stand unassisted,
a mail-order doctor for a husband,
an inflatable supermodel for a lover,
a microchip for a liver,
a freeze-dried lap dog,
a normal life
desire perpetually at arms length,
[prosthetic arm extensions]
an invisible electric picket fence, decimal points for children [each the clone of a genius], 3.14159 BMW's
a house in the clouds ...
or maybe he wanted to be a spinster, unattached; obscure;
a widow of considerable repute, a well-behaved bachelor
who made history, a eunuch, a test tube of sperm, the
world's first solo DINK, something utterly inhuman, something cheap,
something FREE!!
The surgeon was a solvent addict who squeaked through med school.
The operations were a success.
Mostly no one recognizes her.
They pass him in the streets with averted eyes.
Those who see him can't believe its her.