Back in 1988, cosmonauts on the Mir
space station discovered fungi covering
the outside of one of their windows.

Never mind, the subzero temps
or lack of oxygen and H₂O

Never mind the near vacuum
of outer space and lack of gravity

A fungal spore traveled from Mars
with freeze-dried passenger attached

Perhaps a single-celled amoeba
traveling on or in this fungal spore

Fungi isn’t classified as living,
a genus that doesn’t reproduce

But the single celled amoeba
does divide, making chlorophyl

So, never mind the odds of finding
just a hint of warmth on a window

Never mind the odds of finding
the dampness on window’s edge

Or the correct angle of sunlight
causing the fungi and living cell

to form a symbiotic relationship
of attaching and growing food

Do mind this new garden of Eden
clinging as mere lichen on Mir.

Patricia Carney, Cudahy, lives along the shores of Lake Michigan, taking mystic cues from the muse of the lake. Her poems are published throughout the Midwest, she is the author of four chapbooks, most recently, Catherine, 2023. Memberships include WFOP and South Shore Poets.