zumpoems

Runiverse

She radiates brilliance based on fine features,                 
               good form and skillfully applied cosmetics.
He balances confidence and accessibility 
                    with an unerring certainty of success.
The universe is expanding,
Inflation rampant,
Stretching everything more than any yoga instructor would 
                                                    allow.

Our planet is stuck in motion 
           at hundreds of thousands kilometers per second.
I stock up on Dramamine and Ginger Ale.

She worries that she will never see him again.
He is lost in the business of the day.
These galaxies race away from us faster than 
                              the speed of light
And are accelerating more each trillionth of a second.

Some Alien out there has calculated that 
            this is the last week to 
                      DVR an episode of the Game of Thrones
before losing all contact.
Some Star Watcher is now 
            stuck with a static picture 
                   of this faraway galaxy from here on out.

She is not simply a set of particles: 
                                she is moving very fast.
In relation to her changing position in space, 
                                he is moving even faster.

This universe is not stable;
It strays too far from itself
Running away from a past that was too small.

This universe is accelerating
As if it has immunity from moving violations
Or has appropriately mounted a very good radar detector.

One day her particles and his
Will dance tumultuously in the debris encircling some 
                                             infant sun
Or get pulled into a 
    black hole.

She radiates,
He balances,
The universe inflates,
Stretching everything way beyond belief
And ultimately, slightly out of reach.


 

— Zumwalt (2011)