Relationship

Catherine Little

Symbiosis is a relationship.

Ours changed

from

mutualism

to

parasitism

so 

g
   r
      a
         d
            u
              a
                 l
                  l
                 y

I didn’t notice

until it was too late

to save myself.

The Science

This poem looks at symbiosis through a human relationship lens. Symbiosis is usually thought of as a relationship between two different species. Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism are possible symbiotic relationship types. In this poem, symbiosis is used to describe a human relationship that changes over time. It was inspired by the article ‘The evolution of parasitism from mutualism in wasps pollinating the fig, Ficus microcarpa, in Yunnan Province, China’

The Poet

Catherine Little (she/her) is a Canadian writer, educator and consultant who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As well as poetry, she has written textbooks, OpEds, professional resources for teachers, and picture books.

Next poem: Rooted by Michele Rule