- a dispassionate look at a tiny drop of life -

Armed
with a magnifying glass,
the observer decided to look
at a crystal drop.

Inside, she saw
the flickering flame,
the dancing world,
the small masterpiece.

She admired
the miniature universe,
the ebb and flow
of a tiny ocean.
She also heard
the beat of vital drums
and a song that came
from the heart
hidden inside the flame,
.

She watched the specimen
grow, glow,
awaken,
breathe.
It looked priceless,
a treasured fire,
the core of life,
playing inside a precious,
blood-red stone.

She wondered
where the energy went
when the music stopped.
Did it dissolve into
space, smoke,
void, light?
Did it disappear under
a lonely child's bed?
Was the life of a human
the skeleton
in another human's cupboard?

Then, she saw it all end,
fatally,
even brutally
and considered the remains:
abandoned
bones, muscles, fat, skin,
hair, blood, nails and veins.
Gone were
the mysterious threads
that held them together.

Later,
the cold cloud
that wrapped up
unfinished pieces,
cooled forever
36 degrees
of imperfectly human possibilities.

The observer with a sardonic smile
still watched for a while:
discussions, speculations,
and religious explanations.

Then she left,
as she cared for none.