And Those Notions Are Us

It’s the stars vs. dust,

And the stars are winning

In any star-forming

Nebula. You people.

It’s always the winning

And losing, always teams.

But you must’ve gotten

The idea from somewhere.

Chimpanzees vocalize

To coordinate hunts

And scream in group attacks,

But then, where did the last

Common ancestor glom

On to joining in teams?

Herds, schools, and flocks are not

Truly teams. Binary

Mutualists—pilot

Fish and sharks, oxpeckers

And elephants—aren’t either.

The sea anemone

Hasn’t joined the clownfish

To achieve victory

Over its enemies.

Are the ant colonies

Truly colonizing,

Enslaving, and raiding,

Or striving to win wars?

There’s an ingredient

Missing in there somewhere.

It’s not stars vs. dust,

And the stars aren’t always

Winning, but your notions

Had to come from somewhere.