By Lois Marie Harrod

No use telling
the jellyfish
to stand up
for herself
or the footless
slug to stand
his ground.
Most amoebae
are wobbly
as curdled milk
and even
the centipede
for all his feet
doesn’t know
which one
to put down.
White feathers
quiver
the slightest breeze,
and backboneless
crabs sidle off.
So don’t expect
piling or prop.
90% of us
have been spineless
these 3.7 billion
epochs.