Nathan Hassall writes

Horizontal Silence

Every time I look
at a face,
the cheeks and forehead
begin to sag,
eyes retract
inward

lips crack

and voices in throats
break-
out
into un-
certain
gibberish

Every time
I look at
a body,
initially up straight,
I see its spine curve
until bent
over,

it falls into

horizontal silence

every time I look at
these corpses,

I see their lifeless glaze
of prejudice

every time I look at
their eyes,

I see
a mirror,

the wry grin
of mortality.

 Mirror -- Andreas Englund