The skull

Your skull protects gyrated bits of brain

where music and poetry and stars all dance,

in miraculous molecular light shows—

Neural networks lead to last night’s left-overs

and oh, the keys.  And how to drive.

In that beautiful treasure box is the secret

of how your crooked mouth

smiles its tender morning smile. 

This precious bony skull—

a skull any phrenologist would long to touch—

This skull contains infinite connections. 

In the case of cancer and craniotomy

then you lose irretrievable stray items:

the name of your first love. 

                         . . .the word love. . .

and how to keep from crying 

when loving eyes try guiding you

(with a nameless sort of hope)

to this morning’s tender smile.