Pinocchio
He sells the watch Gepetto gave him
the day he quit the shop.
The surgeon shows him pictures;
he picks the one he wants:
The swelling will make it grow,
he says, laughing.
For a moment, Pinocchio thinks
of Gepetto
carving puppets by the fire, tries
to imagine what he’d say.
It’s the surgeon’s voice he hears,
asking if he’s ready.
Across town, an old man lies in a cold bed.
The last coals flicker and die.