Free Radicals

oxygen in the air interacts
with molecules in atoms
with an odd (lonely,
unfulfilled) number of electrons

this often occurs during childhood
and it is clear that instability is a matter of
support—who is around you

highly reactive radicals create
a chain reaction, like dominoes
and then the trees fall faster
and good old houses go
and ethics leave

cells may function poorly or die if this occurs
and this general malaise is called progress

but a defense system of antioxidants
often identified by their distinctive colour textures—
the deep red of cherries and tomatoes;
the yellow of corn, mangos,
and saffron; and the blue-purple of blueberries
and a good poem—
these create resistance
to the unstable atoms
and this defense is called community

in this context, oxygen in the air interacts
freely, with a radical poetics,
and cells maintain joy sustainably