Rosamond Purcell
CAST OF SKULL OF MAN SUFFERING FROM PAGET'S DISEASE. MUSEO CESARE TARUFFI, ISTITUTO DI ANATOMIA E ISTOLOGIA PATOLOGICA, UNIVERSITÀ DI BOLOGNA, 1993, Iris print, 20" x 16"
INSTRUCTIONS [TRY THIS]
Double or nothing that's the deal
for the sheep
caught in the middle of one vs. two—
As a rule for division—[when it comes to division] it's best to divide—
try not to ride in on the pelvis of your brother
try not to complete the head of your twin
Opt for the average allotment of DNA
demand your own portion—no more
—as if you could—
BREATHE
keeping it in
letting it out
what happens if half the chute is missing
and the ground comes up too fast?
JUST THINK
Think about thought—
Who can think
when the bone will not stop growing
and memory turns to fossil in a thick stone tomb?
Who can think
when, uncontained, the mind like virgin jelly
opens to a life in vain
and slides down the spine in perfect innocence?
Who can hear
through high tides rising between the bone and brain?
this skull—a seabound shell
flooded ebb and flow before it cracked.
