The Children of Einstein and Galileo (1999)

 

The Children of Einstein and Galileo

            (a love poem for poets)

 

I have finally realized that I am

looking for answers in the wrong places

that maybe we all have to get back to the basics

dream of constellations

find the pictures created by melting ice

 

maybe I’m asking the wrong questions

but, tonight

tonight there is something in the air between us

in our quiet conversation, contemplation

sunlight and shadows mix

blend into middle grey

there are clouds forming

between straw & swirling liquid

I am creating

mute music from glass

a soundtrack to set down behind

laughter and strange tensions

 

and maybe

maybe it is already raining somewhere

but stars could be falling

and we would never notice them

my fingers are distracted

occupying themselves folding corners of paper

into geometric shapes mindlessly

if I stop for too long

my thoughts will form unsolvable equations

physics and astronomy

will dance together in my head like fireflies

I will give Einstein a run for his money

 

maybe we should not be so eager

to take E=MC² as fact

why doesn’t anyone ever question

scientific legislators

ignorance of the laws of nature

is not a defense

still, there are so many cosmic questions

I need the answers to

if energy can neither be

created nor destroyed

how can it be that there are sparks forming

on every surface?

 

maybe it is time for us to hypothesize

I am conducting experiments

rolling emptiness between my fingers

creating candles out of nothing

I touch a wick to your lower lip

like a kiss

your words become light

and I realize that

yes

this is how stars are born

 

if we could stay here forever

if we never ran out of words

all of us,

we could give birth

to a new universe