You Are a Zoo – a poem by Kate Rauner

You are home to millions
More microbe cells than yours.
A human microbiome,
The normal flora forms.
You grow your unique garden
In skin and gut and hair.
The most obsessed collector
Simply can’t compare.
Ten thousand species strong,
Four pounds of life inside.
They crowd out nasty pathogens,
Even detoxify.

Fun microbe fact: the average healthy adult has 10 times as many microbial cells as human cells. There’s lots of information on harmless and symbiotic microbes that we humans are healthier for housing. Try LiveScience.com or blog.ted.com

Thanks to Clker.com for the illustrations.