Stag beetle, antlers raised
Corpse mounted in resin. Preservation,
nature’s baby, a human oddity, a body on display
on the desk, half paperweight half treasure. Palmed
under the guise of sanctification (isn’t it beautiful?) —
here is your forensic proof,
the crime so, so long ago
now a shadow on the waterline, the vessel submerged.
Stag beetle, cadaver with a plastic caul
Here is a proper burial, grass and soil.
Here is what was once yours.
— YOKO ZHU
Yoko Zhu is a writer and poet. She currently resides in Boston and is studying Journalism at Boston University. Her work has appeared in Flexible Press, Rice & Spice Magazine, Local Wolves Magazine, and many others. She loves listening to music on trains and writing on the back of napkins.