Sunday, November 13, 2022

questions








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He kept falling backward every time
He was about to reach the top 

Now they tell him that he has no free will 
That bacteria inside his gut have goals 
That don’t jibe with his
Or as the scientist says, “Microbial manipulations might fill in 
Some of the puzzling holes 
In our understandings about food cravings” 
In other words, 
For his microbiome he is just a delivery system that 
Brings them sugar 
For them his body is a bakery 
Is there no end to subservience?


—Ishmael Reed 
The Diabetic Dreams of Cake, excerpt
the paris review



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