Organs Of Donation

On the edges
In the shadows,
Where things get blurred
There, the sum is worth less
Than the parts.
Life is cheap.
A body is a commodity.
An organ sells for a fistful of dollars,
A fortune in tissue economies.

Harmless sounds
No more than a murmur
Blood circulating
Through chambers and valves
Pulsing through veins.

In the light
Bright white walls
Where hope hangs heavy
There, machines blink and doctors
Wait for parts.
Life is on hold.
A body paused, suspended.
An organ dysfunctions and fails,
A saving grace is desired.

Two sides of one scale,
Each equally desperate,
To live, a better life.
Reflecting each other
Like a series of fairground mirrors.

A kidney can be disposed of
For hard cash
It's owner limping on.
But what about a heart?
Sold to pay the funeral bills
The daughter said.
And for a handful of ducats
A pound of flesh is sold,
Regretfully I'm told.

A hundred thousand
Still waiting. Each hoping
To live. Not to die
Waiting. Hoping for
The generosity of a stranger
Or the desperation of another.

The market economy says
Exploitation is morally preferable
To death. Life it seems
Must be lived at any cost.
Who am I to say
What price to pay.
Natural or unnatural
The lines are blurred,
The ground is muddy.