by Joseph Cooper

The Nose

     One morning I became quite ill and for days could not rise out of bed. My nose, fearing for our future, dropped off my face and went out looking for work. By day’s end it was employed as a bank teller and was very quickly promoted to assistant manager. Having seen the successes of my nose, some of my other body parts decided to contribute as well. My ears and mouth opened a therapeutic practice in a lucrative part of town. My hands and agile fingers played piano, becoming quite popular, and recorded several best-selling albums. My legs and feet set a world record for the fastest hiking of the Appalachian Trail and became showpieces for healthy living. My genitals and buttocks became highly publicized underwear models and moved to Italy, sending money home every month along with photographs of their adventures. With their combined income, my body parts purchased an elaborate home on more than a hundred acres where they cared for my other surviving parts. I, myself, never recovered from my illness and was buried beneath a willow tree by a beautiful pond where my eyes, gray as the moon, wept daily for their loss.