If They Summon You

Excuse yourself

Before the trial commences

And your bias is laid bare

And your grief demands

The wrong audience

For you finally

Saw him

As more than the composite

Of his diseased parts

At some messy moment

Nestled neatly between

The medical jargon

Pouring, spilling, leaking

Drowning

The passengers

It once carried

Yet kept afloat

With built-in life vests

And

The sluggish hum

Which you can still hear

With your eyes closed

(That is, in your sleep)

As that faithful monitor

Betrayed the unspoken