Did you know that apoptosis
Is programmed cell death?
As the telomeres on each end of a chromosome
Gradually get shorter?
Isn't it beautiful?
How a cell would rather die
Than to replicate damaged DNA?
Only so many times
Can a cell replicate
The telomeres get shorter and shorter
And an elegant safeguard is eaten away
Extra strands of genetic code
That are empty
Full of nothing
Serving only as a built in timer for the inevitable
Isn't it beautiful?
This choreographed suicide
Pop
Pop
Pop
The organelles flow out
As the cellular membrane unravels
Like spools of ribbon bleeding in a Petri dish
Like streamers at a birthday party
Like gum balls rolling down the spiral track of a machine operated by quarters
Like the crazed excitement of shredding glimmering wrapping paper of the biggest present on the pile
Confetti and mitochondria
Party favors and cytoplasm
A colorful ball pit of proteins on the endoplasmic reticulum
Cotten candy caramel ice cream cake
Sugar coated glitter dusted ballon animals
Double stuffed pepperoni pizza poppers
Sticky hands and rosy cheeks
Dingy socks and sweaty feet
Can you hear the laughter of children echoing in the nucleus?
YOU ARE READING
A Collection of Thoughts
PoetryA collection of mostly free verse poems and short stories. Sometimes it is nice to simply clear your head. *Trigger warnings: descriptions of disturbing themes such as: body horror, death, interactions with the uncanny, topics in biology, and suici...
