The Particle Physics of Poetry

The big bang
     or God
should have created
equal amounts of
poetry and prose

but today
bookstores
     the few that remain
and libraries
     the few that are open
are mostly prose

Poetry is
the antimatter
of our universe

rare
elusive

which is funny
because it wants
so desperately
to be found

It should be
as common
as hydrogen
     but it’s not

Perhaps it’s fear
the fear that
prose and poetry
will annihilate each other
if they come into contact
with each other

We have to keep
poetry separate
or we’ll destroy ourselves
     shout the prosaic

Maybe it’s the poets
that are antiparticles
simultaneously
matter and antimatter

some miracle of science
     or art
that keeps them
from exploding

Putting words onto a page
the merest of matter
microns of ink
on millimeters of paper

crafted out of
the poet’s
     antiparticle
soul

Like a poetry reading
sound waves
vibrating air molecules
between the poet
and the listener

and then they’re gone
     the vibrations ceasing
as if they were never there

We’re left
wondering
how have we changed

In the particle physics
of poetry
there are still
mysteries

/ / /

This poem was written in response to the matter/anti-matter prompts at Poetic Asides.