the genocide of bacilli: a poem

the genocide of bacilli: a poem #poem #poetry

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the full poem:
I watched a video where
someone put
a couple drops of pond water
under a microscope
and zoomed in.

in the water
were thousands of
rice-looking ciliates
coagulating in groups,
like herds at a watering hole.
as they flittered
and warbled about,
darting like fish,
massive, potato-shaped paramecium
(cratered and hairy)
came barreling through them
like charging elephants.

underneath it all
were long, curved bacteria
crisscrossing like freeway overpasses,
and floating amongst them
were rod-shaped bacilli
swimming like
living, uncooked
pasta noodles.
all these creatures
dancing like
Coachella attendees,
mindlessly content,
living out their best
single-celled lives.

then came the slaughter.

the videographer
filled an eyedropper
full of isopropyl alcohol
and added it
to the pond water.

as clear washed over clear,
the effects were immediate.

the bacilli stopped dancing.
the ciliates froze in place
with rigor mortis.
the paramecium,
those noble,
legendary creatures,
withered and died
where they stood,
going extinct
right before
our very eyes,
and marking us
accessories
in their massacre.