Visual Mortality Acuity
How far away
Can you determine death?,
Can you sense the subtle vibes
Of a beating heart or breath?,
Can you spot a vapor trail
At twenty-seven meters?,
Do you hear the failing heart
By the backfire of its beaters?
Can you hear the death-mans rattle
As you stand outside the door?,
Or is it like the conch shell
With the oceans distant roar?,
I suspect it's just the tailwind
Of a guy who's heaven bound,
Doing solo flying
With the wings that he just found.
Can you measure Rigor Mortis
With a telephoto scope?,
Can you guarantee a suicide
By the tension on the rope?,
Can you call a drive-by shooting
And the bullet riddled brains?,
By the ashen colored skin
As the blood pours down the drains.
When you're driving in your car
And there's a fellow in the gutter,
Can you tell from half a block
If his heart beat has a flutter?
Is he a catatonic Schizo
With a blank and staring look?,
If you've had the proper training
You could read him like a book.
When you've learned to spot a dead man
At any distance you inspect,
You must study proper timing
To be sure you are correct,
Because uniqueness is the key
When determining a stiff,
This application of your senses
May require just a whiff,
Because death is an olfactory
Experience indeed,
A body laying undisturbed
Begins to go to seed,
And the germination process
Is a documented science,
The timing quite predictable
Like a clockwork geared appliance.
What this boils down to, folks
Is a measurable skill,
It's used by Law Enforcement
At the scene of any kill,
So, if you'd like to earn your license
With a handsome annual annuity,
Train for certification
In Visual Mortality Acuity.
1993
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