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Sunday, August 12, 2007

Assimilation


There is a small acacia cultiformis tree in my front yard, its low-hanging branches coated with leaves the shape of shark's teeth forming a saw-like arch at about eye level. Anyway, I've learned to duck. This morning I noticed one of my hairs hanging in a loose tangle from this branch. In neat rows attached to what used to be my hair are insect eggs in the process of hatching. It gives me an odd feeling to see a part of me being used as a resource by some unseen denizen of the yard. Am I a benefactor? A tool? Am I being enfolded into the dynamic environment that is my home?

1 comment:

Richardus said...

That's a really intriguing question, and this, like many others, has been made perhaps since the day humans became self-conscious: What are we? Does life have a purpose? Why we exist? Is there anything beyond death?

Perhaps there are no answers... or perhaps they're hanging right in front of our noses...