Thursday, October 8, 2015

Consider the Aardvark

I know I am human because I am typical
For my species in creating a nest of proud exceptionalism
And then finding myself aggrieved by my loneliness 
Within it. We are primates, after all, first among creatures,
As well as Homo sapiens, last survivor of our genus.
We claim we are unusual, for mammals, in being monospecific,
But what genius but us created genus and gave one to us?
Scanning our planetary taxonomy net, there's rather more
Categories with one species than with any other number,
And yet we are lonely, sighing expressively into our beer
About our uniqueness in our self-conceived, selves-riddled universe.
Have you ever seen an Orycterupus afer,
Monotypic within the family Oryctero podidae,
Monotypic within the order Tubilodentata?
We, you, I alone created this special place for it.
Did you feel exceptionally lonely, seeing it?
Did it look like it thought it might be lonely, too, to you?

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