5 Metabolism

by Eric Chaet

All over Earth
men & women are eating
& digesting, pissing, defecating
fruits, vegetables, meat, grains
chips & dips, bread & sauces
fats, candy, salt
fancy concoctions
also small amounts
of bitter leftovers
from the refrigerator
all that’s left of spouses gone or children
or from some damn dirty dumpster
drinking, too—
water, milk, juice, beer, vodka
lemonade, soda pop, coffee, tea
peaceful cattle eating grass
or crowded eating nasty feeds
produced & fed them by men
who care only for the price they’ll bring
hogs eat corn, dogs stuff from cans
their harried so-called owners
give them tho it gets pretty old
likewise kids eat canned stuff
full of chemicals they can’t pronounce
& no one knows the long-term effects
bugs eat crops & birds eat bugs
chewing, gullet, stomach, intestine
acids, grinding, gases, belches, methane
winter summer night day waking
sleeping birth growth decay death
bacteria feed in guts
& also on corpses & the detritus of leaves
so many & such variety
other leaves absorb sunlight
roots absorb water & mineral nutrients
worms tunneling thru soil
the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
the worms play pinochle in your snout
fish eat fish, also plankton
likewise crabs, shrimp, penguins, porpoises
the remaining whales, lions, eagles, tigers
the remaining wild herds of buffalo & zebras
all the trees—branches, vines, roots
& all the bugs & birds & monkeys
in the hot wet wild forests
& spiders catching what they can in deserts
always time for lunch on Earth
& without contrary evidence
I presume elsewhere, too
& some thoughtlessly toss
what the proteins build per genes’ instructions—
as outrageous to account for the genes’
existence, tactics, & strategy by Chance
as by God snapping them together on the 6th day—
& the energy from what they eat
that drives drivers of cars, drillers of oil, electric power
linemen & meter readers & traders in shares of stock
as tho they were so many generations of generating Suns
into the absurdity
on a whim
from boredom or anxiety
others cheerfully playing them for suckers
while others try to make things better
not just for themselves but for everyone
or at least everyone righteous & innocent
at least relatively
some try only to endure, some to endure with grace
some try to make a mark they can take pride in
wisely, or trying to amass enormous scores
of money, touchdowns, sexual triumphs, or acres
or people who obey them
or believe in what they want to believe about themselves
which they can’t take with them
getting & employing all available resources
& force, cunning, deceit
laying waste any opposition & their own brief sparks
which won’t help their lonely wasting final days
when their genes lay them off
or maybe it’s their genes that are laid off
the whole operation sent overseas
or to another generation
to take advantage of cheaper labor
some, unable, briefly or finally, even to help themselves
notice & look on, before it’s too late—
wondering, wondering even about their wonder.

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Statue: Rodin