By David C. Roberts

Life is short, I think. I mean, it seems

like just a short time ago I was enclosed in

darkness. I sent my tendrils downward to gain 

sustenance.

This is good for awhile but I can sense it 

is easier to move the other direction. I think I’ll

stay this course for awhile.

It’s unbelievable but my whole environment

has changed. I can see that all my brothers are 

gaining the same experience as me. Nearby I sense 

relatives achieving similar results. We’re striving toward a common goal but some have chosen to dress 

differently.

I wondered and was amazed that first time we

were visited by the articulated bipedal zenos, but

soon learned that they only wanted to chase away the

riff-raff. 

We’ve come to the time that we begin to share of 

ourselves with ourselves. New growth and a 

blossoming of who we’ve become. 

The zenos return and extract from 

me the best of what I’ve become. My brothers and

kin share the same fate.

I am only a portion of what I had become. I

retreat. I wither and return to the dark.