The Butcher’s Apprentice, 1911–1914

The Butcher’s Apprentice, 1911–1914 by August Sander The high white collar and the bowler hat, The black coat of respectability, The starched cuff and the brandished cigarette Are what he has decided we will see, Though in the closet hangs an apron flecked With bits of  brain beside the rubber boots Stained brown from wading through the bloody slick That by the end of every workday coats The killing floor he stands on. He declines To illustrate as in a children’s book The work he does, although it will define Him every time the photograph he took Is shown and captioned for posterity — Even as his proud eyes and carriage say That what he is is not what he would be, In a just world where no one had to slay.