What a Lovely Accident

Look closer. Look smaller.

Hovering in a dark, vibrant matrix

the long spiral of an identity,

protected in its world,

    uncoils,

        unzips,

            replicates,

its code sent away and carried out.

And when its growth is done,

when it has its duplicates,

the home of our Identity

    dissolves

        breaks down

            is eaten away

as our long spiral slowly coils carefully

winding tight tight to histones

condensing into chromosomes.

And as the spindle starts to grow,

Look! The chromosomes have crossed!

and now our genes are different,

so many Possibilities

Then spindle pulls them randomly

to pair on either side,

and as their limp bodies are dragged apart,

the Differences rush with them

and our codes are made our own.

Four cells, each from

e i g h t  m i l l i o n possible combinations

of Ways To Be.

and just one of those cells

meets one other, from another.

and out of

s  e  v  e  n  t  y   t  r  i  l  l  i  o  n  

possible people,

the one born

was you.

Maybe there’s a reason,

some Grand Plan or Scheme,

Or maybe we’re all

nature’s fantastic Accidents,

but your existence

can be nothing

but a miracle.