---
from above, all the world appears
in verdant patches encircled by blue
everywhere, a sameness
at eye level, dusty fabrication
of language clouds the air, and yet,
these remain universal:
crying noises that may turn to laughter
falling asleep
hunger in the early morning
the breath
aging, dying, and birth again
skin changing colors beneath the sun
fingernails
blood, after a fall
the will to survive
sweat and saliva
imagination beneath furrowed brows
fleeting youth
the stories we tell ourselves
of the same God, with many names
natural fear of lightning
yearning for the womb
shivering, crawling to the light
tasting sweet on the tip of the tongue
an itch, from the grasses
pain, when a life ends too soon
and I think, the lesson
is in there somewhere
---