Man With a Hook

This man I
know (about a year
ago, when he was young) blew
his arm off in the cellar
making bombs
to explode the robins
on the lawns.

Now he has a hook
instead of a hand;

It is an ingenious
gadget, and comes
with various attachments:
knife for meals,
pink plastic hand for everyday
handshakes, black stuffed leather glove
for social functions

I attempt pity

But, Look, he says, glittering
like a fanatic, My hook
is an improvement:
and to demonstrate
lowers his arm: the steel question-
mark turns and opens,
and from his burning cigarette
unscrews
and holds the delicate
ash: a thing
precise
my clumsy tender-
skinned pink fingers
couldn't do.

- Margaret Atwood