Organic

The doctor’s voice never varied in tone.
He said I had a growth and
it was in a position,
that if removed,
would leave a barely functional kidney
and the cancer may come back.

I was listening and nodding,
but I had an intrusive thought,
a memory from my childhood.  

I was riding my black and yellow Huffy
down fourth street when I heard
terrible noises from the butcher shop.

I turned onto Moberly and saw what it was
and I jammed my pedals, tires screaming
until I came to a stop.

The blue-wood doors
with all the cracks
and stains were swung open
revealing a cow up on hooks,
bellowing.

Its belly faced me as a man took a pole,
stuck it into its throat
and dragged it straight down, its insides
spilling to the floor
before my 8-year-old eyes.

Micah McGurk is a writer from Kentucky. He studied screenwriting at UCLA and holds an MFA from EKU. He works as a script doctor for a handful of producers and directors. You can see a short story of his at Prometheus Dreaming.