No Owner's Manual

NO OWNER'S MANUAL
after a painting, "Blue Oval," by Robert Chapla
poem by Sherry S.

If spirits of cattle
at rest on this oval
(a rise with no flies)
can sleep after slaughter,

perhaps there's a place
psyches cycle to wait
for upcoming lives
as they flow by like water,

where roles are assigned
and some ask next time
for a happier plot. "Sure,

I liked my last life
but please, no skin strife
with too few repairs."

What clues were we given
for bods we can live in,
and why not a spare?

Bovines with rough hides
that are mottled don't mind,
when it's warm, living bare

unlike some of us
with psoriasis
who keep covered up
and can't help but fuss
when a faulty joint rusts
or our spotted skin crusts and tears.

Flaker Creativity