Trillion page diary
Steve Wing

My fingers slowly trace the complex
segments of her spine, touch-reading
the ancient, still vibrant language of her body.

In her warm form I am reaching even beyond her human family,
and back through rodent, newt and frog and fish.
How far back? They say life has existed here for 3.5 billion years,

which is more than a trillion days.
and her direct ancestors were there for every moment of that time.

Through each day they endured, despite the dangers,
persevering until the mate was joined,
and particles of critical accumulated information passed,
a next generation conceived.

An uninterrupted chain of inheritance
through each and every
of a trillion days of challenges and obstacles, chaos and catastrophes.

It is a diary of life,
of which she is the current chapter,
written in this living language
whose alphabet is said to have but four letters only.

A diary whose story is told in bone and artery, muscle, skin, and organ.
and also in her heartbeat, her breathing,
the quickness of her eye, the grace of her movements,
the milk from her breasts and tears from her eyes.

This intense affection I feel for her, no doubt could be
traced back somehow as well.
But I want only to feel it
purely and completely in this moment.

To experience the revelation of touching
this trillion page diary of her.

~

words: Steve Wing, Florida (about & more)
image: 'London Migration' - Sandra Davies, UK (lines of communication)

~

from a next generation: I do not own my face (#23)