Marimo

Though they have the same plush, velvety look,
Marimo aren’t moss but a rare form of algae found

in freshwater lakes. Scientists say they're among 
the first plants to have moved from water to land 

over 500 million years ago, even outliving 
dinosaurs. No wonder they manage to stay alive 

for over a hundred years, though kept in glass bowls 
filled with water and a bed of smooth stones instead 

of out in the wild. The need for tangible softness 
must be a trait passed on from one generation

to the next: somehow, part of the strategy for
surviving extremity— the open hand allowing

for flow in ways that a clenched fist 
would not. Take kissing— mouth to mouth 

contact not only for the purpose of passing 
or masticating food— and how there’s evidence

neanderthals and humans kissed. And moss 
spores taken into space, with little to no direct 

contact with light, not only surviving but 
germinating after returning to earth.