Both of these are from Dan Bellm's book One Hand on the Wheel (The Roundhouse Press, 1999).

Hands

Here, scarred over nicely, is where the tip was sawed away -- Working
yourself down to bone there were bound to be accidents
in the tender places -- Here, the thumb of your right hand
got reattached, but at a slant: I like to imagine I feel
a lost tenderness coming to you again
as the tension drains from your fingers -- I mean, the life -- the two of us holding

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Consolation

Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,
et vitam venturi saeculi.

After I kiss his forehead lightly once
goodbye,

after the closing of the box,

where does his suffering go --
of course it's the Catholic heaven
he expects, the resurrection of the body
and the life of the world to come

but where does his suffering go --

I mean whatever of it
that is not part of me --

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