If you give a biologist a pancake
he will poke it with a fork
like a rare organism. He’ll examine it,
dig into its microstructures.
He might even smell it.
If you give a biologist syrup,
his experimentations might be halted
by its mapely sweetness. You’ll breathe
a sigh of relief—you distracted him.
Although he might speak with his mouth full.
But take the biologist further
out of his habitat. Remove
his lab coat, his goggles. Laugh
at the way his hair sticks up like Einstein’s.
He might even begin to examine you.
So you give a biologist a pancake
in the hopes he will fork its sponginess
and hypothesize about its taste. Because
if he looks at you under a microscope
all he might find is empty space.