Earthworms have no eyes,
but they do have light receptors
and can tell when they are
in the dark or in the light.
A baby
never chooses
to be born.
That much
I can tell you.
If presented
with the option,
I would have
turned and
climbed the birth
canal—
if I’d seen
the copious
suffering
that awaited,
spreading
wide its talons,
seducing
like a salesman,
ever-willing
to beguile,
with the lie
of love and
life,
how much sorrow
you can take,
that you’ll bounce
back like the
balls
in every
lottery there is,
the one
you’ll never win,
like a worm
that arises
to the surface,
failing to
burrow back
into the earth,
be wise enough
to leave the world
behind,
leave the birds
behind,
proof
they weren’t
sightless
to begin with,
that eyes
are not the only
way to see,
that they’ve learned
at last to snub
the falling rain,
this somber
convocant,
its call
in April
air,
its hoodwink
that it’s here
to bathe them
clean.
Andreas Gripp
January 19, 2025
RF Image
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