Beach pebble crevices
billions of years ago
hardly seemed worth cleaning
to save a microscope the trouble
of differentiating
between animal and mineral.
A few latterly years of breathless
excitement came to those naming
the staunch little cells
so they were a contribution after all.
Within a half billion years
the fossils had white cells grouped
and the infinitesimal blacks
now appear as lenses
in the designated eye.
A marvel of reconstruction
in the use of cells
in the analysis of their function.
If I left unwashed dishes
on the sink a few billion years
from now would that fossil of a sink
be seen as undone
by a dirty cup and saucer?
L. Fullington
If you have any comments on
this poem, L. Fullington would be pleased to hear
them.
