Under the Microscope
Our living parts become works of art,
even the bacteria that cling
to what is most vulnerable and dark—
the skin, the winding thoroughfare that starts
at the mouth. We are nomads who bring
with us these living parts like works of art.
Look—Starry Night resides deep in your heart,
and across my nail bed Seurat’s bustles swing.
The places most vulnerable and dark
house our microbial masterpieces, which dart
about and seek out company in clumps and strings.
Our living parts become works of art,
especially the pathogens that cart
disease from host to host. How else could we wring
joy from this vulnerable vale in the dark?
Magnified, we discover the mark
we share, the one that binds us in clumps and strings.
In the living—and the parting—we learn the art
of loving what makes us vulnerable and dark.
(First published in Tilt-a-Whirl)
