ABSTRACT
The theory of poiesis concerns the turning edge of life found in the sounds and alphabetic language of the poem, but it also points toward the turning edge of life of Gaia. Undoubtedly, the poiesis of form includes the turning edge of life in composting and decay, and it also includes the poiesis of mitosis, an ongoing process of division, morphing, and becoming. Originally, the scope of Holding on focused on the poiesis of the biological life-forms of Gaia. To understand the energy of Gaia’s life-forms, one must grapple with how Gaia emerged from cosmological and elemental forces. This brings us to the second of the two driving principles of Holding on: atomic energy precedes cellular semiosis. Holding on frames the process of semiosis/poiesis with the figure of Proteus. The guiding principles for Holding on are as follows: semiosis precedes the consciousness found in animals, and atomic energy precedes cellular semiosis.
