Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 36 (December 2002).
blood and gristle
forged from trash
of exploding stars,
fragile, short-lived, prone
to sag and corruption,
helpless at birth,
pitiful in unremitting decay
such a poor use our body seems
of the eternal elements of creation
but lightning strikes within
tiny electric jabs that jump
from receptor to receptor,
creating art, imagining love,
finding courage, honor, theories
of our own origin, joy and laughter
to mock the truth of our condition
stardust
offspring of unimaginable light
seeking an antidote to dark
Poem © 2002 by Allen Itz
Artwork © 2002 by Sethil GK
