Under a Cloud

Martin Zarrop

Where do bodies end?
He’s careful not to leave 
his hair on a comb
skin cells in the carpet
prints on the door handle
DNA in the king-size bed

yet an aura of microbes
follows him everywhere
a mindless microbiome
he can’t shake off
as long as he breathes
wherever he moves.

Truth is skin deep.
Even his dog betrays him
with each pant and shake.
Faithful follower,
man’s best friend
is no longer dumb.

Bacteria speak volumes
and the mist is clearing.

The Science

Each of us has a skin ecosystem that continually sloughs off to form an individual microbe cloud, known as our external microbiome. Changes take place over time, but these are small compared with microbiome differences between two people. These differences can be detected and used for identification, long after an object or surface has been touched. Those who live together, particularly couples, share more skin microbes with each other and with any pet dog in the house. This biological data is becoming increasingly of use in criminal investigations.

Based on: Smith, J., 2016. A cloud of distinction. New Scientist, 229 (3063), pp.38-41.

The Poet

Martin Zarrop is a retired mathematician who wanted certainty but found life more interesting and fulfilling by not getting it. He started writing poetry in 2006. He completed a MA in Creative Writing at The University of Manchester in 2011.

His pamphlet ‘No Theory of Everything’ (2015) was a winner of the 2014 Cinnamon Press pamphlet competition and his first full collection ‘Moving Pictures’ was published by Cinnamon Press in 2016. His pamphlet ‘Making Waves’ on the life and science of Albert Einstein was published by V.Press in 2019. His second collection ‘Is Anyone There?’ was published by High Window Press in 2020.

Next poem: Vinblastine by Stephen Wren