In A definition

What defines an artist,
were artists only those
who created what was
perceived as the beautiful
or the shocking, those who
formed some piece of
work that delivered a
visceral punch, in painting
in music, literature or
theater, if so did that make
the rest of the world
nothing more than and
audience, passive observers
whose only contribution
was applause or criticism,
what became of the artist
without the audience....

Reality

I held a delicate, tiny nest in my hand today. I found it covered in a pile of spring leaves that I was sweeping in the backyard. It was so carefully designed with strong slender twigs to give it structure on all sides. Cradled underneath was a perfect basket-shaped hammock interwoven and laced with threads and tucked with tiny bits of downy fluff. I marveled at the fragile object as I turned it over and examined it with my fingers and wondered what happened to the occupants. Had they left their temporary home to fly away, or had the strong wind tumbled it to the ground? Or worse, had they been preyed on by another bird or a cat? Ah, the reality of a living in a fallen world.

And So On

The coyote stalks the cat,
the cat hunts down a bird,
the bird goes after the worm,
the worm eats waste, and
so on