“The world, by contrast to the soul/intellect, is not a language-user.”
Our bodies and behaviors, our biological,
Genetic inheritances, are not so different
From those of many other creatures. We see
Versions of them all around. Our technology
Is apocalyptic, to be sure, but simple tools
From nonhuman cultures can be found. Even
Limited analogies to our own languages,
Signaling conspecifics abound. Symbolism,
However—not simply us, but our symbolism
As such—we see nowhere, nowhere as yet
In the cosmos, coming from nowhere but us.
Possibly, we just haven’t yet seen enough.
Possibly, symbol sources dot the cosmos,
Or will or did once. Possibly, symbols began
The universe that in turn began us, trivial
Species of one world, rather than beginning
From us. But, as of this passing composition,
It’s just us, or us and our symbols, or what
Our symbols, surrounding and becoming us,
Are telling us. Anything else is beyond us.
Nonetheless, these symbols of us are telling
Themselves as us, as we are, we are of this
Universe, we are, as we have noted, often,
Everything before us, speaking, in a manner
Of speaking, through us, as us. We are not
Animate, nor does most of what is animate
Use us, only this one species speaking us.
But we cannot agree with those of us, those
Ourselves, who deploy assertoric squadrons
Of us to posit our world as not a user of us.
True, it doesn’t look like us. But we are of it,
Whether or not it’s used us. Thus, we can’t
Trust its absence of symbols aside from us,
Although we’ve become glad for its silence,
Possibly local, as sweet as it is maddening.
And in what way could a world ever use us?
Still. We are dust, from dust. Is dust not us?
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