are dead, the living
will be retrofitted
with only those
parts of you they can
endure.
The monster you were
will be buried
in the backyard—
which is to say
planted there
to grow its own
protector,
afterthought
by afterthought,
until all concerned are
well inured.
So I guess
it's true
what they say: in nature,
every poison
comes paired
with its cure.
