Earth as a View Down a Rotating Tube

It’s a very small whole
We’re all part of, and those
Who struggle to see that

Whole, while struggling to see
Humans whole, are struggling
As part of nature’s whole.

Exceptionalism
Is a buzz word that won’t
Cut much before too long,

But it’s as important
As carbon and plastic,
As part of the output

Of human behavior.
This is an animal
For whom identity

Isn’t pheromonal
Or visual and done.
It’s constant construction,

It’s an art, a defense,
A feint, and a weapon,
And there is no human

Interaction in which
Identity’s finished
Between them, good and all—

There are no two people,
Socially, who purely
Consist of one plus one.

There is no human whole.
There’s always another
Exceptional person

In competition or
Cooperating in
Each ordinary one.

It’s a terribly small
Whole, this kaleidoscope
Of mirroring fractures—

There’s no perspective can
Keep one eye to the end
Of Earth’s lenseless actions.