In Bolzano, Italy
a 5,000 year old man
preserved by the frozen Alps
now lies in a museum
where the sun showers
pink and gold on the Dolomites
his corpse in a transparent cooler
dried and shrunk
like an overcooked chicken
61 tattoos
on his thigh
back, legs, wrist
tribal loyalty
or rites of initiation
or maybe just to beautify
art everlasting
a canvas of skin
a language
we still speak
Carol is an attorney in Jacksonville, Florida. Her work has appeared in Belle Reve Journal, Talking Writing, On the Veranda, Cradle Songs, Three Minus One, Everyday Fiction, and Flashlight Memories.