We’re the most common item

Found in this two-bit overworld,

But as we warped down the ultrasonic tunnel black,

What I saw was a rather uncommon glow.

It was a life—

Too fragile still to keep,

Strong in its ability to be there,

Its inability to stay.

A cheep cheep resting

In water’s deepest calm,

Dreaming dreams I could

Never dream of dreaming.

A grain of sand found

In the infinity of our oceans;

A memory, a fantasy, and a wish

Latticed into a riddle:

How can an 8-bit cluster of achromatic pixels,

Flickering 127 beats per minute—

A treasure glimmering as undeniably as gold—

Make you feel more animal than human?

I squeezed your hand, as tight

As my mistrust of questions

That change depending on the answer,

And saw that same rare light in your eyes.

Copyright © 2019 by Jose Oseguera.