February 24, 2010

Poem: "They Had Torn Off My Face at the Office" by Ted Kooser

They had torn off my face at the office.
The night that I finally noticed
that it was not growing back, I decided
to slit my wrists. Nothing ran out;
I was empty. Both of my hands fell off
shortly thereafter. Now at my job
they allow me to type with the stumps.
It pleases them to have helped me,
and I gain in speed and confidence.

-- Ted Kooser, "They Had Torn Off My Face at the Office," Sure Signs, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1980: p. 87