We taught recombinant DNA

to recombine,

turning tumors into birds

that freed themselves

from the cages of our bodies,

misery flying out the window,

a flock of blackbirds

that only comes back later

to tap at the pain,

begging for a few more scraps of us?

Or never returned,

burrowing down into the ground

like certain owls

to sing their own dark songs

almost muffled by the earth

in their mouths?