I AM THE RESULT SO FAR By John Grey

the question of how

inanimate organic molecules

engaged with each other

to produce

what we refer to as life

is unanswered –

 

even though I know

enough math

to balance a checkbook

and my sense of balance

keeps me from toppling

and I’m cognizant of

my neighborhood

so that I can

get myself home

from anywhere

in the vicinity

even when drunk –

 

there are two elements at work here:

how I came to be

and what I do with my being

 

one involves the structure

of crystals such as DNA

the other can instinctively

place one foot after the other –

 

lab experiments

or the smell of my breath in the morning –

 

they’re closer

than you think


John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident. Recently published in Examined Life Journal, Studio One and Columbia Review with work upcoming in Leading Edge, Poetry East and Midwest Quarterly.