Lists were not created by God.

There are no creatures on this planet who entertain

these little beasts or can even imagine their existence….

Except us.

Lists were created by the human mind, out of whole cloth,

in a moment of inspiration

or (some would say) insanity.

One moment humanity was tranquil, then poof!

There they were, the creation of the human intellect,

at once elevating and binding us in our arrogance.

There are many species of list…

from the benign shopping list (tiny and harmless)

to the massive databases which run the world.

Yet the most pernicious of these are

the ones that hide under the bed at night… waiting.

To sleep perchance to dream…

but to wake up at all is to risk these “night lists” attacking you,

filling your mind, prying you away from your rest.

And now we are in thrall to them…

Long live the list.