And/or

Dictyostelium loners shown aggregating in a 3% agar substrate from Rossine et al 2020

I. Self

The light reached out

to a unicell floating

on the water column

She observed the unicell's whip-

like tail pulse and squiggle

anxiously here and there

Until the tail generated currents

that swept detritus and microbes

toward the collar of the cell

The collar absorbed an array

of food for the unicell like algae

and bacteria, mostly bacteria

The bacteria, tho it appeared small

and insignificant, had a powerful

powerful influence on the unicell

Some triggered the unicell to mate

Some triggered it to change its form into

diverse cell types like chain and rosettes

To the observer, the unicell is like her:

solitary yet linked to the multitudes surround-

ing her—a Self ensconced in the Infinite.

II. Society

Known tangible materials stacked one on top of the other formed all that is visible to the conscious mind. All these supercilious lighted areas brag about their importance in the great social fabric. Said they weave loose threads together. Said they provide stability in chaos and purpose for strays and misfits. Said all those who stand against the known will be long forgotten and annihilated by the darkness. Behold the biggest conspiracy against mankind!

Doubt these fools know about the units who sat out collective's actions and flourished in their own dirt. Doubt they know about the locust who buzzed off the swarm and returned to a solitary, calm grasshopper-like life. Or the hybrid crocea and squamosa clams that produced distinct psychedelic mantle patterns and colors. Doubt they'll ever know, doubt they'll ever know the magic that exists beyond the terminus—the line dividing day and night, light and dark, et cetera et cetera.

III. Absolute

Only a newborn who didn't

reach the age when

he can fit into or

walk in his

first shoes understands

the Whole of life

That it doesn't matter

whether one knew

love or pain

sun or rain

money or fame

art or science

music or dance

youth old age

time space

No these didn't

matter to him at all

these only matter to us

fully developed finks

who think we know better

Than the newborn who didn't

reach the age when

he can fit into or

walk in his

first shoes but understands

the Whole of life

IV. Relative

How many more partings do

we need to sense each other's

absence?

to crave moon's

depressions and

crevices?

to burn with autumn's

kisses on

faltering leaves?

to submit into

the ebb and flow rhythm

of waves?

to fade,

to linger, to

fade, to fade with

tran sient

hot touches?

Shall we wait for

death to seal

farewells?

to close

tired ey es?

to welcome

the dawn of the new

day?

Or shall we,

instead,

finally lament

the death

ofthisbondage?

finally terminate

cycles of persecution and molest that

robbed us of our innocence?

finally take

a stand

for our independence,

our freedom

which, someday,

the world will

behold and regard as

Absolute yet

Relative

to the dirt we're

firmlyrootedto?

V. Virility

He clutched tightly

onto her round legs like

a toddler

only he was a

grown man with

strong hands and

strong fingers

Contrast between the

moonlight that struck at

his broad shoulders and

dark shadows

illuminated

his fragile

exterior, exciting

heat inside her

She felt his warm breaths

grazing her inner thighs,

rousing shy buds

to bloom, to bloom

in sweet, sweet ecstasy

Heavy weight of his head,

his shoulders, pinned

her down on the

hard surface where she

sat, his fingers latched

deeper onto her skin,

possessing, invading

every fiber of her being

As he rose from sleep,

he scratched his lids and

brushed dried mucus off his

lashes, he looked at her with

his clear, deep deep eyes,

clear scarred soul, hungry to take

a piece of her self-possession

He leaned closer, their faces drew

nearer and nearer, she fixed her eyes

on his skull cupped on her hands,

she thought his features were rather

perfect save for his crooked teeth,

how she loved his crooked teeth that

discriminated him from perfection,

this crookedness that made her see

through his steel toughness—a mere

illusion of his masculinity

More than his crooked teeth, she sat

motionless, absorbed, transfixed by

his eyes—his eyes that touched the

core of her being, his eyes that pulled

her out of the darkness, his eyes that

briefly immortalized her, his eyes,

their eyes connected by some strange

inviolable force that canceled out

opposing bodies that surrounded them

and assured them of their Wholeness,

Completeness.

VI. Purity

He can only imagine her

in her nakedness,

in the sheer honesty

of her flesh beaming

confidently as if taunting

the dim crepuscular light

of the sky, belittling

the holy magnificent radiance

of the moon and constellations

He was taken by her foreignness

her mysteriousness, her essence

enveloped in darkness and

nothingness, but like a boy

in transition to a man, he grew

afraid of the effects this

absorbing force had on him,

he knew yielding would kill his

childishness, his impotence

But the pull was so strong,

so strong, he wanted to

consummate their union

right there and then,

wanted to vanish inside

her kiss, wanted to suck

her breasts till she starts

lactating the nourishment

his impoverished

soul craved

for

It was not just

the thought of sex that

drove him mad to submission—

it was her—plainly the

presence of this isolated

alien standing in front of

him, inviting him to crawl

back inside her womb to

experience a second round

of gestation—a new birth

that would cleanse him from

his past from which he will

emerge as a holy holy

invincible

man!

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Reference

Rossine, F. W., Martinez-Garcia, R., Sgro, A. E., Gregor, T., & Tarnita, C. E. (2020). Eco-evolutionary significance of “loners”. PLoS biology, 18(3), e3000642.