The body quantified: at autopsy, it's always on its back, looks up at me
lips puckered tight, as if it would refuse one last kiss. How much the liver weighs,
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
how heavy is the heart, how large the brain. The body, hungerless, all that remains,
reminds us we are objects absent souls. I try to animate them, nights alone,
when human company seems necessary, the lab surrounding us imaginary
as Frankenstein's—any thing's possible. I talk to this one like she's only ill
and might pull through, remembering my friend who died of stomach cancer, face so drawn
and bloodless she was almost only breath. I was among those thankful for my health
who'd visit, but not have to stay. We'd tell her stories as she winced in pain; meanwhile,
the clock kept warning us no time was left. How mute the opened thorax, how bereft
the empty bowl of pelvis, how I wish our fables, in the end, were more than this.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
