21 Grams

The man in the lab with his scales and tools

Measuring every inch of your once living form

Twisting a tuft of hair without a thought

For the nakedness that lies before him

And the boredom that fills his soul

 

Weighing each organ, each part of your body

Staring into the emptiness where your lungs once breathed

Even in death, still an organ donor they say

As if something can outlast the final breath

 

Your feet, just regular feet

No mark of expertise or love

Nothing to show the life you lived

Or the people who held you dear

 

Every pound accounted for, except for 21 grams

The man, a praying man, claims to understand

This is the soul, he says, finally

After the breath has left the shell behind

 

21 grams, he proclaims, the weight of the soul

Less than $4,000 worth of crack, he equates

All that moves us through this world

All that remains when all else is gone

 

But what of the love that filled your heart

The memories that danced within your mind

What of the laughter and tears that you shed

Do they too weigh only 21 grams?

 

The soul, an intangible essence

Beyond the reach of scales and measures

A mystery that defies the grasp of human understanding

For in the end, it is love and connection

That truly move us through this world. ("21 Grams") by Courtney Weaver Jr.