rare earth theory 

was the first organism lonely?
i like to believe in both wholeness
& fracture. once, i stood 
on the mountain in the days
after a great snow storm. the soil bled 
frigid waters. angels & pigs gathered
to drink. i was one of them.
my greatest fear
is to be rare. i hope there are
more of me. flock of my bones.
herd of a chewed-up star. 
there is a debate about
whether the earth is ordinary 
or rare. once i met an extraterrestrial.
he spoke in syrup. took me apart
with a butter knife to see
what kind of board games 
i kept inside my chest. i told him
about the boy pieces & the girl pieces
& the little thimble. do not go
& tell people of everything
you've seen. i have washed
my eyes in nectar. tasted a tiny 
molten sliver of the earth's core.
in a sense, aren't we all
the first organism? arriving 
to a dinner party in which
i know no one. i go around
asking everyone if they believe
we are alone in the universe
by which i mean, are we all
poets? by which i mean 
there is no big-man god. 
in the snow i saw the tracks 
of squirrels rooting for 
their golden teeth they hid
when the sun was still full of yolks.