Without warning
starlings fly out
of opened cranium
spattering doctors with blood.
Startled, they stop talking
about stock options & golf
& decide to close:
cementing bone,
folding scalp back,
calling for sutures & sponges;
forgetting to make
passes at nurses
who dutifully swab
bloodspeckled, sweating brows.

Later, as they change out of scrubs
nurses will talk about
what pigs doctors are
& what if their wives knew
& whose boyfriend
has the biggest cock
& whose kids are doing drugs.

Meantime:
Patient - Frankenstein's monster -
scalp stitched, wounds still oozing
lies comatose in recovery
dreaming of chainsaws & cannot
escape a thund'rous explosion of wings.

(Copyright 1/20/2005)

Hugh Cobb

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/an-anomalous-surgery/