Charlie's Lab Partner

Charlie was my lab partner
In school

We didn't talk much except for, like--

'Put that powder in it.  Wow, it did something.  Write down what it did.'

or

'Put that blue stuff in it.  It didn't do anything.  Was it supposed to do something?  Write "results inconclusive."'

That kinda thing

Then one day
We had to dissect frogs
And I barfed

I mean, I didn't really barf
But I couldn't go near the frog

Every time Charlie would try and get me to help
I'd say--

'Barf'

And he'd just sigh
And go back to work

He ended up writing the report for me
And we both got 'B's
So that was pretty cool

After class, he saw me sitting in front of the poor frog
Just looking at it

'What if one day people do this to us,' I asked, 'What if one day all humans wind up on a table being cut up and looked at like this?'

Charlie said--'We do.  It's called 'autopsies.'

I meant it in a more poetical way
But I guess Charlie didn't get that

'Come with me,' I said, 'We're going to do right by this frog.'

We were supposed to put the frog
In some sort of special, plastic container
So as not to contaminate ourselves or whatever
But I just put him in the brown bag
I brought my lunch in

We brought him down to the pond near school
And I found a little piece of wood
To set him on

Then I had Charlie use my lighter
To set him and the little piece of wood on fire
And we set him adrift in the pond

'A Viking funeral,' I said

'How do you know he was a Viking,' Charlie asked

'It doesn't matter,' I said, 'Ultimately we're all Vikings.  We're all owed a dramatic and theatrical farewell.'

That's why I'm here today
To give Charlie that kind of farewell

Charlie and I sat
While the frog pyre
Disintegrated
In front of our eyes
Into the pond

It was incredibly poetic

Kind of weird
But very poetic