Embalming School

The scalpel slid across the flesh
His eyes fixed on his work
He set them it in the tray I held
Working his fingers through the flesh
He grabbed the scissors
Freeing the organs
As flesh was worked
From bone

The air had a heavy stench
Not so much of death
Of chemicals
I glanced down at the tray
The syringes, needles,
drainage tube and blades
layed solemnly
Positioned as instructed
The forceps resting on the naked corpse
Tomorrow I thought
Maybe tomorrow he will let me put to use the skills I learned
Very dedicated
I brought my work home with me
Going over and over all I had learned
Although at first
Somewhat taken back
My love, my wife
Cooperated and let me practice on her
On the late nights after returning from the mortuary
The rubber spatula
Just a toy I had realized
As it slid down her naked chest
She lay shaking from the cold
Her head in the head block
Her eyes darting around the dimly lit room
Her breath shallow with anticipation
I was sure the lessons learned
The dedicated study
Would one day pay off

Syringe

Shaken from my thoughts
I looked down at the tray
Reaching I grasped it
His hand bloodied
I offered him a wet rag
Moving aside
I made room for him to settle himself


At the head of the table

She gazed up from the table
Eyes frozen open
Unseeing
He gently opened the eyelids a bit further
Positioning the syringe
I was all to quiet
In the laboratory
I reached for my soft drink

Sipping on the straw
As quietly as I could
As not to disturb the doctor
The sound we’re lost in the night
Unnoticed

The hours went by slowly
She was dressed in her favorite dress
Her long blonde hair brushed down
Accenting her beautiful face
Her smile was worked over for some time
Yet she now looked to be smiling approvingly
at the progress we had made
A look of fortitude, acceptance
She definitely had
A stiff upper lip
I screwed the cap back on the glue
Her eyes now shut
As if sleeping
Deeply

There would be a lot of clean up
It had been a busy day
I hurried through my chores
So I could make it home for dinner
She would be happy for me to share with her my day at work
I offered to help with the dishes so we could get a early start
As I finished my nightly homework
For embalming school