observe this clump
of recalcitrant cells
sitting up in bed refusing
to do what biology insists upon
and die —

what arrogance
that it won’t just roll over into rot
considering all the insult 
it has self-inflicted 
in its lifespan —  

why it’s even
trying to get more sleep
learning to de-stress and rest
seeking better nutirition
it has even stopped smoking —

this looks remarkably 
like a disease called by some
hope —

what we know
of the habits
of such colonies 
is that when hope manifests
it is always
aberrant and short-lived —

still
it produces a glow in the cells —

a phenomenon
that may have some
adaptive advantage
as on rare occasions
it is strong enough to illuminate 
a small enclosed space