Inheritance (for July 11th)

Collections one two and three
are made from birds
and have for parts
wings and feet in jars,
hearts and guts
charred and caked and cooked
on sidewalks
when it was warm.

Collection four
is scissors
labelled his and hers
for clipping the ends
of feathers for pens.

Collections five and six are
made from straws
for breathing underground,
have parts that must be replaced
every three to five years.

Collections six through ten
are sweat stains only
cut from t-shirts with scissors
labelled his and hers
and organized accordingly
from when it was warmest.