Life

I am once again writing a poem for my student observations. The topic assigned to me by the student this time was "Life." It is very broad and vague, so I decided to tackle it in the biological sense with juxtaposed images in each line to point out that we tend to create prejudices towards organisms and life processes based on their appeal to us even though, at the end of the day, they're all just "life." I also figured I'd try my hand at ryming, though I still can't get a pesistent number of syllabols in each stanza. I'm not overwhelmingly pleased with this, so it's basically just filler to make this look like an active blog to everyone who isn't reading it (haha).

Bios
I am bacteria that kills
and mold for penicillin pills.

I am the maggots in the tomb,
the stirring in a mother's womb.

I am a placid cow chewing cud,
a voracious parasite drinking blood.

I am the flower and the weed,
the mighty tree and tiny seed.

I am the humble crawling snail
and the majestic singing whale.

I am the rabbit's fleet paws
and the fox's hungry jaws.

I am a tigress nursing her cubs,
a wasp who lays eggs in live grubs.

I am the spider you crush in fright
and the lover that you hold at night.

I am vagrants sleeping in subway stations
and leaders of the greatest nations.

I start before you draw first breath
and briefly persist after "death."

I am vicious.

I am precious.

I am life.