Flora Poem by Shannon Harney

My body tells the story of many lifetimes.
Each spans a unique length;
the breath embodying various substances.
It is on this train that I hesitate;
I stop to speculate at the speck
who lives in the sea of human hair.
Is it aware?
As its acids and proteins replicate and diverge,
does it feel discomfort?
Does it purge a nameless existence
upon the arrival of an upgrade,
only to have the same breath
invade a rival space for animation?
Such a competitive mode of survival
for a shared breath