I wish I had a saw, a chisel, something other than
this hammer and hand. I'd carve a human heart,
all the perfect chambers and estuaries. I'd polish
until it shone, install a red flashing light inside.
Once it was exactly right, I'd sit back to watch it blink.
Full stop. Then pass out the rocks. Why not?
I can look out at the falling snow: the air
maintains an incredible stillness. Then let's go.

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"Hunger Artist" is part of a manuscript that's in progress. While not inspired by Kafka, I became interested in the idea of transmogrification as performance, and that is where this poem sprang from.