Three Americans Share 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics
Poems on the runaway universe:
The Runaway Universe by C.W. Johnson
Runaway Universe
The Expanding Universe
Time
And from Zumwalt:
Runiverse
(Due to a few long lines, I was challenged with properly formatting this in the original post. Below is an unformatted version, still different from the original but more aligned with the website layout, perhaps.)
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)
Admin’s Note: This is an older version of this poem, and lacks the proper line breaks — as far as I know here is the current version, revised in 2025 or 2026.
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 of 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
stream a redshifted episode of Stranger Things
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.
