THE MURMUR OF A MICROBE
Ocean of Oozing Life from whom I came,
I know your throbbing force but not your name,
I know in faith you're good and wondrous wise,
And I'm your image, though I'm small in size.
(If I ten thousand times were magnified
I'd still not be one inch from side to side.)
Microbes are small -- with no need to be first,
But not without a job -- (which is the worst
That little folks can suffer, I am told)
But our role's clear, our functions manifold.
At all our worldwide tasks we are the whizzes,
We're Algae, Protozoans, Virusizzes,
Mold, Germs, Bacteria -- a noble clan.
We were primordial life when life began.
We're everywhere, and even live within
All living beings' veins, organs and skin,
And when we die, we lie down without grief
And form a Dover cliff, a coral reef.
We're joyful, God, great Creatress of all,
To be significant, however small.
(P.S. If small be beautiful, most small's most fine?
So God's no-size-at-all must be divine!)
Excuse me, God, my theology's abysmal:
Are you less infinite than infinitesimal?
from the forthcoming book Prayers of 100 Animals A to Z, by William Cleary
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