I saw a picture of
Beethoven’s skull—
the dog food,
the gray stuff,
the overweight spaghetti
missing—but,
once upon a time,
coiled around symphonies.
The sockets were
black and boring,
above a smile
as long as a Halloween
octave.
Oh, Beethoven!
your nose has fallen
off and your poor
ears are missing—
but symphonies in
Safeway are grinning.
—Loraine Campbell