Intent Questioning

When people intended to kill
As many bison as they could,
As many white-tail as they could,
As many turkeys as they could,
Those populations plummeted.

The bulk of their recovery
Has been due to the intention
To stop intentional slaughter.
It’s not always as obvious,
But it’s a general pattern—

Intention’s an accelerant.
Yet, unlike other catalysts,
It has no material form.
There’s no intention molecule.
It’s not even a behavior,

So much as an amplifier
Of a behavior in progress
Or about to get underway.
As a legal category
It’s synonymous with desire,

Almost, but it’s not just wanting.
Planning is evidence of it.
As is simple, bald assertion—
We intend to do this or that.
But there’s no certain proof of it.

The evidence of intention
Must always be circumstantial.
So where does it come from and why?
How does it work? How does it fail?
What is intention in the end?