now we have nine billion
chimps,
gorillas,
and bonobos.
what unifies them is
the very stick and carrots.

some carry sharp sticks,
some carry holy books or codes,
some carry briefcases full of silent thunder.
some seek bright carrots of gleaming profit and prestige.
some seek hidden carrots,
a moment’s peace,
a glance of love,
a name that outlives the body.
some trade their carrots
for smaller,
sweeter illusions.
some trade their sticks
for a place closer to the feast.

but under the suit,
under the screen,
under the creed,
the hand still knows the grip of the tool.
the teeth still remember the hunger.

we have not changed the dream.
we have only built larger trees,
deeper shadows,
more intricate games
of give and take and dominate and break.

what unifies us is not language,
not gods,
not borders drawn in sand or mind,
but the shared urge to lift,
to reach,
to have,
to hold,
to keep.

the stick is agency.
the carrot is control.
and the forest is now global,
and the hunger is endless.