The universe wanted it that way
he claims, and everything happens for a reason
as we’re all made up of pieces of a primordial planet
overwhelmed with nostalgia for the cosmos.
He talks about black holes, the Big Bang
and the evolution from single-celled creature
to fish to mammal to man.
I hear him say even worms and algae
are part of some ingenious, cosmic plan
and how everything starts with the cycle of life
but I don’t want to run around in circles.
Of course, I would like to believe
that every stone can turn into gold
which we use to buy stairways to heaven
but all I see is unbearable randomness.
So I curse the coincidence that brought us together
like atoms that don’t have anything better to do
just happen to form a human, or a dog.
A Maltese with separation anxiety, for instance.
In a single glass of water, you can fit more atoms
than glasses of water in the entire ocean, he states
with an expression that says ‘don’t you dare to disagree’.
Thanks to him I discovered you can learn to dream
like you learn to ride a bike, swim
and stop calling your ex.
(c) Leen Raats, first published by The Pointed Circle (Portland, USA), June 2025
Leen writes 