Animalia

Evolutionary mysticism

the first evolved of us was the sea sponge

then the jellyfish, and what they believed in

hydrogen & oxygen & light & heat

my father explains the meaning of “animal soul,”

how god wants us to be holy, in his image

like it says in Leviticus, purity is wholeness

once there was order, a level for all of the creatures

a rung on the ladder for every light-striving being

Jacob’s dream manifest in the evolution of species

it always troubled me how animal

human hearts can be

how blinded by territory, dominion, conquering

one of my cats attacks the other

he bites her tiny head. she bolts off

as he claims his prize — the ottoman

I like to imagine he

is just putting on a performance

that in the middle of the night they nuzzle up together

allowing the godly soul to take over their feline bodies

when they first met, he lay belly bare

perhaps trying to convince the new addition

some godly submission resides in him, against appearances

within a few weeks his essence overcame

his heart having acclimated to his own weakness

a tender acceptance of the animal he can’t fight

my father explains, again, what god wants from me

universal inspirational quotes, testament to the nature

of god, who wants us to be more like him, less like my cats

I do not want to be a cat, I admit

though I am not sure I want to be like god either

at least not the god I’ve learned in books

we know so little about life beyond this earth

we must start by learning about the other

inhabitants, creatures of grime & blood & light

that we are composed of — this fertile ground

this pluralizing of species — this multiplicity

celebrated all around us, in the ever-thrum of nature

he is looking out the window to his soul

searching divine outer space for the animal