the living sphere
is marked by
the etched and stretched lines
of anxiety

the living sphere
that other planets
don’t have

the living sphere
of air and water
and life’s multiple connections
between every growing thing

it’s a theoretical sphere
but a diagram can be made
of the stresses that stretch and tear it

in a perfect world
the living sphere
would be as clear
as a cellophane window

but it’s hard to imagine
the living sphere anywhere around us
as clear and as peaceful
as cellophane