Evolve, Evolve, Evolve

poem

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Photo by James Balensiefen on Unsplash

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The weaver bird
builds its nest

with a false
entrance

to fool predators,
especially 

the snakes
that seek

to devour
eggs and chicks.

My first instinct
is to see

the weaver bird
as an example

of why evolution
is beautiful.

But then I think
about the newborn

antelope
that sometimes

imprint on
the lion

that just killed
their mother. 

I've seen
the videos

of those baby
antelope hungrily

and cluelessly
nuzzling

the lions 
that have mother

blood drenching
their faces

and fangs.
Evolution is 

also cruel
and violent.

And I sigh
at my silly

need
to wish

that lions
would sometimes

adopt the newborn
antelope

instead of
eating them.

Ah, we humans
so often behave

like the snakes
and lions

but we're also
capable

of startling
empathy.

I remember
when my 

eight-year-old
little brother

wept over
a dead fly

on the windowsill.
"Hey, little man,"

I said. "You have
such a good heart."

And he looked me
in the eyes

and asked,
"Why does

everything
hurt so much?"