For billions of years, predation had been painless.
When bacteria attacked and destroyed
contiguous cells, did small steps up from matter yelp?
Do pseudomonas ever shout, God, I need help?
Confinement in a petri dish is not the same as prison.
Yet if Annabel Lee had been a protozoan
and Poe an average chunk of DNA, would
oceans have produced undulating poetry?
We invent stories. We've also invented the rack,
robots, and divinities. (Do deer ticks need
Torahs to stop them from biting themselves?)
Flagellae are perfect. Which flagellate lacks?
--First appeared in STAND, Vol. 20 (2) 2022,
University of Leeds
Commentary
Resurrection is coming. The author better get out of its way forever--fast.
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