Dennis Muchmore
St. Anthony
Easy to build paradise for piglets,
silver walls and a bulb that always shines.
There to drowse with kin
until the urging of the intestines
rouses the child to leave the light,
and settle upon a screaming suckling wall
of brother and sister at breast.
Bars protect sucklings
from the innocent crush of her body.
The sow lies in her cage muttering
until children incide and suck her to
consciousness.
Roused, she will scrabble and lumber
and scuddle piglets from her pigbed.
Anthony has haystalk hair, swivelling eyes
and a permanent unsure grin.
Some seismic activity of his gums
arrange teeth like gravestones after a gale.
He watches a runt unsteady and protesting.
Too late to barge and cleave
to appointed teat.
He lifts the runt.
He clips teeth to spare the breast.
Spears the haunch
giving iron through a blunt needle,
suckles the pig with milk from a tube,
does docking and notching.
He cradles the pig,
knowing no pigmother will claim it,
knowing three good sucks
and iron are enough.
He returns the runt to creeping farrow,
to the warm silver crèche, to paradise.
Page(s) 95
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