Forget about biology and focus on minutiae.
Break the smallest parts of body and mind
into opportunities for decay. Seed it well.

Deny points of view until teeth crumble,
vision blurs with tears. When battered,
even the strongest soul softens.

Once fatigue roots itself against action
anyone can be collapsed.
With patience

eventually any body learns
how to die—
a little at a time or all at once.

E.F. Schraeder believes in ghosts, magic, and dogs and loves almost all children’s books featuring brave mice. A Rhysling- and Pushcart-nominated poet, Schraeder holds an advanced degree in Library Science and PhD in ethics. The author of The Price of a Small Hot Fire (Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2023),  the Saturday Visiter Award nominee What Happened Was Impossible (Ghoulish Books, 2023), and several other books, Schraeder’s short work has also appeared in a number of journals and anthologies including Under Her Eye, Lavender Review, Literary Hatchet, Strange Horizons, Mystery Weekly Magazine, Ghoulish Tales, Vastarien: A Literary Journal, and others.