When I leave this world and they clean out my house, they will
discover what I couldn’t throw away— vinyl records, textbooks,
unpublished manuscripts, garter belts with brittle elastic,
real stockings, my sister’s letters.

Because I will surely die alone, under mysterious circumstances,
the M.E. will do an autopsy.  He’ll make that long incision from chest
to pelvis, startled by what flies out of my body—

a slender girl with wavy waist-length hair, playing guitar, singing
Joan Baez tunes. From under my heart, a plump woman will pop, shaking
her dark curls, handing out cookies. She’ll offer a sweater to the poor
M.E. rocking on a stainless steel stool, clutching his apron.

Threads of smoke will rise from my toes, take shape as ballerinas
in stiff tutus, turning in unison, drifting through the morgue
over tabletops and counters. Each time he touches an organ, another
of my hidden selves will appear.  Going deeper,

what he’ll find will make him run howling from the room—
what I’ve always known was there— one wolf, one parrot, a smiling
dolphin, and a half-ton Polar bear.  Last, an elephant will emerge,
trumpeting under fluorescent lights, tusks gleaming.

Imagine those two men grappling,
for five years, unprepared for all those facts
at odds with what everyone knew.

How does it feel to be pushed off
the terra firma
of God’s immutable Word?

Imagine their wonder at giant mammal
fossils in Argentina, proof of the vast process
of constant transformation.

Imagine Captain Fitz Roy amassing the details—
beaks of fifty-two species of finches, making
accurate notes, unwitting aid to Darwin.

Imagine the Captain’s first step toward despair,
having invited Darwin aboard, so distraught
he slits his own throat.

Imagine how Darwin returned from this trip
with enough data for decades, reconciling
truths already evident in dog and pigeon breeds.

New species take 10,000 years to develop.
Descent with modification, Darwin said, unaware
of genetics or Mendel’s work.

Science is reason and observation,
a willingness to let go of beliefs
when facts dispute them.

Evolution is the holy eucharist of nature
some can’t swallow.
The earth moves. Species change.