vedfest (Kevin J. O’Conner)

un
vulnerable, the skeleton is laid out on a marble slab
          the surface of each bone disfigured
                    in a slightly different way

skin covers many blemishes

deux
the entitlement of cells to demand regeneration
          distracts oxygen from its worst impulses

heavy water is an ever-present threat

trois
diversity of playlists
          is a sure-fire recipe
                    for road-trip conflict

we may need to call into service
the box of old tapes in the back seat

quatre
poor little fetus:
          they all want to protect you
                    but are too scared to talk about you

then again, your wrath is legendary…

entracte
The new CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with [sic] community standards and wishes, and in tandem of [sic] the inviolable tenets of self-regulated thought and willful ignorance. The inalienable right of the emperor to maintain the façade of invincibility over his rotting flesh shall not be compromised by adherence to fact, integrity, or the inherent fragility of creamsicles.

cinq
the evidence-based approach to love
          is doomed to failure

biology can be easily measured and catalogued
but the spaces between cells remain misunderstood

six
the science-based approach
          has its own shortcomings

but continues to seek understanding
(viz. an authoritative definition of chemistry)

sept
transgender:
          we too often focus on topography

when we should believe
in the expression of truth

 

Kevin J. O’Conner is an emerging poet whose main claim to fame is that his cats have never let him get a full night’s sleep.

Inspiration: “vedfest” is something of an impressionistic piece—sort of stream of consciousness, but not quite—with each part based on whatever was brought to mind by each of the seven words, loosely connected by the overall theme of science or biology.

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