Not by Extraordinary Means

There is so much material in the
material world.

We have no yard; the philodendron pots are small;
we’ll bury the cat elsewhere.

The Vikings were precise but not
extraordinary

in their cruelties. King Ælla’s ribs were
broken from his spine, then pulled open

behind his back to resemble wings.

Little brown bats are vanishing

like smoke from caves they’ve filled for
thousands of years. It is a small thing,

but if you don’t add eggs one at a time to
cake batter, the emulsion will break,

and the cake won’t rise.

The Vikings—sometimes they yanked the
lungs through.

Salted them.

No, not by extraordinary means, my mother
told the doctor when pressed. He wouldn’t

let her leave for the night. Then, in her
smallest voice, But, yes, everything else,
please.