Apr 30 2008
The End of the World
We watched a show last night
about the end of the universe
it was on TV and
I am a sucker for that kind of thing.
A scientist,
that couldn’t stop grinning
sat next to the coal pit explaining
how all the stars would blink out
and how cold it would be,
and then even,
the end of that.
The coal pit was supposed to demonstrate something
(I’m not really sure what because I was an English major)
and the man
who works up in Berkeley
seemed delighted with our ultimate demise.
He was laughing
as he talked about,
“a vast soup of particles”
and how even atoms
would break apart.
We can look forward to, he said,
the black hole era
the degenerate era
the dark era
none of it really sounded that fun,
but I have to admitt
the degenerate era
was intriguing.
To make us feel better
the show explained
this was billions of years away
and we on our couches would be long gone
only the man near the coal pit
really seemed disappointed.
I looked down at my lap
to see if you were sleeping
but you were watching
our universe dissolve right along with me
I wanted to explain
that it sort of made me sad
the end of the world coming
so far away and certain
it made me sad for all of us
imagining the fate of the world
hinges on whether or not we recycle
or play violent video games
or donate to Peta or the Red Cross.
It made me sad because I like to believe I am important
and not a bump on the path
the world and the universe lumbering by
heading on to their cold, dark ends.
No responses yet
