Meditation from a Collection of Matter
I am made of the elements;
Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon,
Like the endless expanse of the universe.
My chest rises and falls
Like the coming and going tide;
Inhaling and exhaling like an ocean breeze.
Each breath is a breath taken before
Maybe by the first humans in their persistent wandering,
Maybe by my asthmatic neighbor whose name I don’t know.
The same DNA that’s buried deep in my system
Was once curious enough to leave the familiar sea for dry land.
Primordial baths are still very relaxing.
I wasn’t here to see the last mass extinctions
The explosive volcanoes, the blazing heat and freezing cold, the imminent asteroid.
But I’m surviving in the present with some medication and only moderate existential dread.
I am made by my times.
An imprint, a force, an artifact, a future fossil, if I’m lucky.
A piece, a collection, an infinitesimal, quintessential part of everything.
By Michael McPhie
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