Amputation Without Ether Poem by Roger Gerald Hicks

The first thing the quiet:
the sweet-smelling, raucous parakeets,
her pets,
gone.

The still house unsympathetic:
Gaping holes dot bookcases;
empty closets glare
like curious neighbors
gift music boxabandoned
with her ring.

Plants brown and yellow,
(yet those re-potted,
indeed, much healthier)

House, empty, quiet-
quiet
as if holding it's stale breath.

Dishwasher and dryer
complete the tale:

Gone her prints from glasses;
from sheets-
her scent.

Nothing hers remains-
except the mysteries.