y Paul DeShaw
I'm growing back what they cut from me
That amputated piece excised from my anatomy
The wound they made wasn't flesh only
It delved the deepest reaches of my neonate psyche
They only wanted my good health and sanity
Oh, the problems they imagined they'd prevent
That's the sad condition of humanity
We do each other harm despite the best intent
So with suspended weights or elastic bands
Men tug the stump left to them by those latex-covered hands
A glacier seems to move faster than
The edge of new-grown tissue as it gradually expands
But we are in control, not like it was before
When we were strapped down to that board to take the knife
The operation only took ten minutes
But the consequences stay with us for life
Because those nerves are gone, blood vessels, too
That soft, inverting sleeve: a comfort partners never knew
Lubrication comes from a bottle now
Because the gliding membrane we were born with
They did not allow us to keep
They sell men pills perhaps some wouldn't need
If they had not reduced the blood supply
Babies get infections or the hemorrhage
Nobody knows how many each year die
We need transparency, Doctor--no more disguise
Please tell the parents all the risks if you circumcise
And that the foreskin doesn't cause disease
And when he grows up, it will give him
Pleasure, comfort, ease
Refuse to perform invasive surgery
When there's no pathology to treat
Just say, "No need to cut of healthy tissue"
And urge them to leave their little one complete
