Being #5

The eye can't see the tailbone, spine, back's midpoint,

head's crown, nose, the face it inhabits,

or tongue's root, deep inside.

Yet we know those places exist. The mind makes maps—

some detailed, accurate, up to date;

others, long unused, owe more to hearsay

than honest exploration. Intricate symbols

mark deadly swamps, faded sketches tell

of hard-limbed, double-jointed beasts,

and though there’s much we’ve learned, we still find

many a white space, inaccessible, blank.

What does it take to break a habit, go

discover what’s there, unbury our bones?

What must we face to make the maps complete?

© Simon Brod, 2022