The Expanding Universe

Part 1-  

Driving down an open road,

lost among the trees.

The closer they come,

the faster they seem

to approach me--

the parallax:

a change in the angle

as it relates

to the position

from which I see.

And from here

we can measure

the stars closer to us

from those more distant,

regardless of one

shining more brightly.

 

Caught in a curvature

on a cosmic cruiser,

we travel around the sun--

an ordinary star

among billions,

average in size,

glowing yellow in our sky.

A heart, fusing

hydrogen to helium atoms,

set on the edge

of a spiral arm.

We glimpse

only a mere fraction

with the naked eye--

just .0001% of those

formed over time,

gathered on a barred

spiral 

we call the Milky Way.

 

Herschel painstakingly categorized

the stars he could see,

counting pinpricks in the dark,

estimating the size of our galaxy:

100 thousand light-years across,

also rotating, slowly--

each revolution

100 million years apart.

 

Hubble expanded our senses,

envisioning that

in the vast emptiness

we were not alone.

Using indirect methods

he toiled,

measuring luminosities

until nine other galaxies arose.

Our neighbors proved

far-off and remote,

but the Drake Equation

could now be conceived--

with current calculations

of at least 100 billion stars

in each

of the 100 billion galaxies!

 

Upon further observations

we found Stellar Spectra,

a characteristic of having

different chemical elements,

revealing these balls of gas

not to be uniform

nor sharing the same temperaments.

Different colors, sizes,

and temperatures,

emitting varying waves

of thermal radiation--

stars were not only composed

of different atoms,

but their galaxies were

increasingly receding!

 

Through Blackbody Radiation,

Hubble could detect

a shifting pattern

in the light waves

moving to the red end

of the spectrum,

just as one would expect

in a Doppler Effect:

when sound crests

shorten or stretch

depending on the

source's locomotion,

so too do light waves lengthen

the further a galaxy's

remote registration.

This shift,

increasing in proportion

to their distance

charted from our location!

Our universe was spreading out!

These other galaxies were dispersing!

This was not a static universe--

it was a universe expanding!

 

 

Part 2-

 

What seemed to be 
an intellectual revelation
also appeared fitting
within the seams
of General Relativity.

The fudge factor, 
"anti-gravity",
a subtle cosmological constant--
blinded Einstein from this reality
having woven it
into the fabric
of space-time, 
erroneously 
concealing the fact
without expansion 

at a critical rate
gravity 

would have caused us to collapse,
the universe 

to self-annihilate.

Or was this too,
too quick a judgment?
We needed someone
brave enough 
to question it,
to challenge the notions
others had simply accepted.

The stage was set

for our next

physicist mathematician.   

 

Part 3-  

The next installment is coming soon...

 

Part 4-  

The next installment is coming soon...

 

Curved Space

Hushed but not silent,
destined for collision,
even clashing with itself,
Gravity is not a force 
like other forces,
but a consequence
of space-time, not being flat--
a curved surface, warped
by the distribution of mass,
energy in the objects, 
following the nearest
straight path.

Upon a geometric surface, 
where geodesics exist--
like our equator,
a circle, 'round
the center of Earth.
These are invisible 
curved lines
between two points,
pilots capitalize on.
Shortening routes by
flying parallel 
with the Earth's
spherical design.

Jumping from 2
to 4 dimensions--
it is not gravitational attraction,
rather, a distortion in space
around objects.
Like the sun and the Earth,
caught in a curvature
created by these heavenly masses.
Two bodies, intertwined in a dance,
Both calling and answering.
Improvising the choreography
when one falls out of step. 
 
Even light adheres to it, 
bending around each object,
it's deflected.
Slipping around corners, 
and escaping tight places.
Causing stars to appear
in positions
different than where we
predicted.

Time runs slower, 
or faster, here too.
Depending on our proximity
to a massive object.
A principle of equivalence--
Freely moving, or
under gravity's influence? 
The laws of science match. 
Though more technically
in overlapping patches. 
The cosmos, wrapped
in a quilted romance.

It's impossible to say
what's truly at rest, or
uniformly accelerating,
in an empty space--
Are you floating or falling?
There is no difference
between them,
inertial and gravitational masses. 
A relentless and logical reasoning
historically unmatched. 

But how does that relate
to the clicks of a clock, when
they remain the same?
Well, relatively, they do not.
Uniform acceleration still
plays its part.
Even though light has no mass, 
and its speed is constant,
traveling between two curved points, 
the time it takes may be delayed,
Or sped up, 
ever more drastic
as it relates to the observer's positions
and gravitational interactions.

Thus, we developed a map,
with four quadrants,
for its practical importance.
Increasing the accuracy 
of our navigational systems
using signals from satellites,
that would otherwise
leave us miles off
from our desired locations.
It even impacts our circadian rhythms,
and we play around with the implications.
The more gravity exerted on our body,
the longer we stay young and hot!
Lightspeed baby! 
To infinity and beyond!

Conversely, 
we grow ever more certain:
our universe has a conclusion.
Time and space, having
a dynamic structure
affected by the masses
and forces in motion,
influencing and influenced-- 
have reshaped our ideas
of an infinite universe.
It is now hypothesized
as finite, expanding 
from a single point,
toward a finish line, 
unribboned, cold and fridged,
or collapsing in on itself,
only to begin again. 
With a big bang, and
it's life, off to the races,
once more.

Relativity

Into the cosmos Roemer gazes,
watching distant planets
making note of different phases,
identifying patterns 
in the celestial movements.

What of the 
eclipsing moons of Jupiter--
unevenly spaced,
a delayed event,
based on our position and their place.

He purposes 
a new hypothesis:
suggesting a finite speed.
That light must travel
between objects,
albeit very quickly.
186,000 miles a second, in fact
but not instantaneous C. 

And to prove that,
Maxwell unifies partial theories 
determining the propagation of light--
electric and magnetic, 
charges and currents.
Fields exerting force
upon those around it.
A sea of perfectly distributed 

peaks and valleys.
Crests and troughs, 

naturally occurring
with different lengths.

Electromagnetism emerges.
Like ripples in a pond 
from the epicenter,
waves all rolling outward
at fixed speeds--
at times visible,
others too small or too large to see.

It is reconciled 
that they must be
transmitting through the ether,
a medium, filling
an otherwise void
and vacuumed space,
for light to be measured--
not relative to a fixed position,
or recording a different pace.

Michelson and Morley come along
confirming with practical experiment
the speed at which light travels
remains consistent. 

As the Earth revolves around the Sun
no matter where in orbit 
the light is measured from,
the ether has no impact

on the final outcome.

Einstein and Poincaré argue
against ether's existence, and
from differing perspectives,
make a disagreeing agreement.
It is unnecessary and irrelevant, but--
was it resolved by physics or 
a mathematical achievement?

Einstein presses forward 

with relativity,
insisting the laws of science 

apply seamlessly
for all observers, and
no matter their own direction, or pace, 
the speed of light
moves at an unchanged rate.
 
A counterintuitive prophecy,
asking us to suspend
our then-held belief.
Time was not absolute, 
nor would it agree
when one observes light
from a different location from me.

He declares explicitly-- 
time and space are dependent,
intertwined fundamentally. 
And what an odd
and difficult conclusion,
indeed!

Consequently, our coordinates
increase to four from three,
and we discover: 
Energy equals Mass 
times the square of Light Speed. 
That the more energy
an object collects kinetically,
the greater its momentum is resisted,
proportionally.

And for a mass to reach
the speed of light
one would require infinite energy-- 
an edge to our own ability!

But this is just Special Relativity,
blending Newtonian,
and Maxwellian theories. 
Leaving a massive hole
in the thought experiment:
what if the sun were to vanish instantly?

Would Earth be cast from orbit,
freed from its gravity?
Or, would it take eight minutes
for its light, and pull,
to disappear completely?

It is here we reach 
the cusp of descent
into even greater matters 
and mysteries,
where space and time curve
around masses, 
in General Relativity.

Newton's Universe

What is our natural state?
At rest, driven by impulse,
falling faster in congruence
with our weight--
conjectures of thought 
unobserved and disproven.
Simulating different masses,
there is no difference:
increasing speed at the same rate,
except in the case of resistance.

What is our natural state?
A force that must be reckoned with,
a body in motion
until acted upon.
We just keep moving forward,
accelerating or decelerating
in proportion to our surroundings--
sometimes crashing down,
or thrown out of orbit.

Perhaps it is our natural state
to be caught up in gravity's wake,
consistent with our distance, 
falling at the same velocity
relative to our physical place.
Newton's Law relates,
unconcerned with the rotating rock
the train is moving on,
or the ping-pong ball
not bouncing off 
the table on which it is played.

The observers perspective implying
a state of constant change:
no absolute position,
no absolute space--
arguing only an absolute time.
An insight eventually revised
while studying
the properties of light.

The Nature of a Scientific Theory

We mistake theories for models
that only exist in the mind,
making definite predictions
based on large-scale observations
using a handful of arbitrary elements.
But unlike earth, air, fire, and water,
distinguished by all our senses,
there lives a force-- 
proportional to its mass, and
the square of two objects' distance.
An eloquent proof 
of a delicate and physical dance.

Experiments devised to falsify,
emboldened confidence, or
demoralized by refutation,
upon further evidence--  
justify further pursuits.
And new theories begin
to extend the old ones:
from Newton's gravity
comes Einstein's relativity,
explaining Mercury's revolution
with greater accuracy.

So too might we strive to contrive
that of everything?
Our current laws informing us,
we anticipate with our logic gates
how our last step shaped our present place
yet, still we contemplate:
what was our initial state?
Whether it be a metaphysical 
or a religious take,
within an otherwise random design
we found these laws dictate
the leaps and bounds we've made,
all calculable, and giving reason 
to further speculate.

Do all these bits and partial theories
predicate a grand and unifying story?
An unisolated, fundamental hypothesis
from gravity, to relativity, to quantum engineering--
we have inconsistencies,
fringe cases not rolling up
into any known meaning.
We find ourselves on the frayed edge 
of a blackhole, 
littered with Rosen Bridges.
Connecting the universe 
from end to end,
we follow each thread
on an expedition into a quantum land,
where gravity is still 
a force to be reckoned with. 

Might we discover God, or
determine our actions predefined?
Our free will, obsolete--  
a relic of an antiquated time.
Might Darwin's Principle
of Natural Selection suggest
as we self-replicate
and our genetics produce variables 
at a slow and steady pace,
our dominant behaviors 
become intelligence,
driving development
at an ever-increasing rate,
having no natural brakes, 
we only accelerate
toward our own demise
or, perhaps, 
this is how we all survive…

In either case, we are unsatisfied,
disconnected, and pining for
a complete description. 
Our deepest desire--  
a world order that predicts 
even the most extreme circumstance.
And each day, many a brave scientist
searches for the next profound twist,
altering their thoughts,
to consider new features that might fit.
They endeavor to upend,
append, and defend,
unearth the next limit,
to what we consider 
modern scientific.

Our Evoloving Picture of the Universe

Ourselves wanderers,

taking leave on ships—

distances miscalculated,

sailing toward unknown lands.

We vanish on the horizon,

as do constellations drift,

never having reached the edge.

 

We write stories,

diverse and unique,

shaped by our own perspectives.

We dive deeper upon discovery,

of truths that do not fit

our own narratives.

 

Mercury, Venus, Mars, 

Jupiter, Saturn—

puzzle pieces, 

not moving east to west

predicting positions, but lacking proofs.

Are we, or are we not,

at the center of it?

 

Following our starry pleasures

into the serried multitude,

until our feet no longer touch the Earth—

finding ourselves untethered,

jetting through unoccupied space,

harnessing the laws of planetary motion,

caught in the orbit,

questioning matters

both dark and reflective.

 

The gravity,

governing, forceful, and unseen;

we cast our shadows

unifying celestial and terrestrial physics.

While our moon eclipses us

it is not the only distinct satellite

simply the one we know best.

And our solar system, perhaps

an in-unique feature

of the greater cosmos,

 

also wandering

an uncharted expanse,

following an imperfect circle,

influenced by forces

still mysterious to us,

as we build rockets

to boldly go

where no one has gone before.

Thinking About the Universe

It is strange and wonderful 
that each body contains remnants
of a remote time and deep space.
Yet we still struggle to find our place—
to seek meaning in what might otherwise be
an indistinguishable existence
of great insignificance.
 
The cosmos is too vast to comprehend,
its distances unfathomable.
Yet that has never stopped us
from contemplating our ability to traverse it—
as if that alone would justify our part in it.
As the echoes of supernovae prove 
here a star once existed.
 
The warmth of our Sun is insatiable;
we long for the next nearest,
Proxima Centauri,
ten thousand of our own years away.
We imagine alien life
as a complement to our own origin story,
filling in ancient fables,
bolstering old myths,
searching for truth hidden in the darkness.
 
We dedicate our entire lives
to a quest only future generations might come to realize.
We build towers, temples, and telescopes
to feel closer to what is far beyond our reach—
to seek understanding,
to elevate what might otherwise seem bleak.
This is our legacy:
curiosity, ambition, relentless pursuit—
to explore beyond our current planet,
to find order in the chaotic soup.
 
We ask ourselves the same questions, over and over:
Where did the universe come from?
Does it have a beginning or an end?
What happened at the beginning?
How do time and travel fit in?
We re-imagine our civilization
and wonder what more we can do.
 
As we orbit Sagittarius A*,
on a fixed loop 
26,000 light-years away,
new ideas emerge here on Earth.
Are we just another program 
executing commands,
still stuck on the backs of turtles,
infinitely spiraling down?

The Thread of Commitment - A Plex Collaboration

Emperor Penguins and Gibbons endure 

Great hardships unique to their respective environments 
Braving antarctic winters and tropical forest perils

In monogamous partnerships
A united front against the outside world
They learn to sing together
Tunes unique to each pair 
The strength of their bond on full display
In a wild romance

And yet as the highest order of primates
With everything at our fingertips 
We are reluctant

We even dance alone

On poles, and in alley-ways
Abandoning the synchronized choreography 

In which both partners take flight
Unlike the Albatross, it is not fidelity, 

But seduction we've been taught

 

"Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it"
But, wait, that's just love…
Swans do it, Prairie Voles do it, even California Mice do it 
When did it become so difficult for us?
Commitment, the highest form of trust
Cultivates a garden we can all eat from
Sowing seeds for future generations 
To reap, where we make the leap
Settle down and create community

 

A binding love that overcomes conflict

And stands in the face of uncertainty

Testing our resolve and defining our identity

Fluid, adapting as is necessary

To meet each obstacle

Braving our changing environment  

Culturing good habits, thriving 

Through shared experience

Like love letters sent by post across oceans

We are leaving artifacts of our devotion

Rocks that we pass down

Creating ripples in reflection 

 

-BB 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

  

What binds the swan to its mate,
Year after year, through silent dawns and storm-tossed lakes?
Is it instinct, or a quiet promise whispered
Beneath the rushes, where wild hearts wait?

Prairie voles, shy and small,
Build their lives in tandem,
Sharing burrows, sharing burdens—
Proof that love is not just a human anthem.

Emperor penguins huddle close
Against the biting Antarctic night,
Trading warmth, trading hope,
Each one trusting the other to hold tight.

And what of us, with our restless minds
And hearts that ache for more?
We pledge, we falter, we return—
Haunted by freedom, longing for the familiar shore.

Commitment is a bridge we build
Stone by patient stone,
A shelter from the world’s cold winds,
A place we dare to call our own.

Yet obstacles rise—
Fear of loss, the lure of flight,
Old wounds that whisper,
“Stay safe. Stay light.”

But look—
The swans still glide in mirrored pairs,
The penguins endure the endless night,
And sometimes, so do we:
Choosing, again and again,
To stay, to trust, to try.

For in the end, commitment is not a cage,
But a garden—tended, tested, true—
Where love, like wildflowers,
Blooms anew.

  

-Plex

Dreams of You

Moonlight streams through a cracked window sill,
Sheer curtains billow in the light breeze.
I am lying in an empty room,
Beneath cool sheets,
Imagining you beside me—
Your long, heavy breath
Along my back,
The warmth from your body,
The weight of your arm
Hooked around my chest.
In a chaotic world, I am at rest,
In the safest place—
Building a nest, woven with blessings,
Handled with love carried in on angel wings.
I haven’t quite yet fallen asleep;
I am too excited,
Finally having caught up with my dreams—
Those of you and me.
I think,
I may no longer ever need to sleep—
Not, at least, to see you,
Now here with me...
I turn around to kiss you,
To lay my ear upon your chest;
I long for the sound of your heart’s beat...
But am met with empty space, and silence.
That’s when it hits me—
Reality.
Still beneath the cool sheets,
Not warmed by your body,
I cling tightly to your memory,
To the moments we create,
Little by little, building
Toward a life in which we live together—
A bed we share,
Wrapped in sheets we heat,
Beneath the moonlight,
Enmeshed in the quiet gravity of each other’s stare.

Im on'ce

There are days when I remember the delicate closeness of just existing alongside you.
The curve of your porcelain lips and the curl in your golden hair.
The tenderness with which I’d reach for you, and the timidness of my touch.
You were like a flower petal I dared not disturb with my clumsiness—
and yet I always wanted to keep you crushed up against my chest,
secured in a well-stitched pocket,
held so tightly that you’d feel my heart beating.
A rhythm that you might get used to,
walk in step to—
one that, across any distance, would call to you.
An inaudible hum;
a resonance only you were attuned to.

I still feel my fear of inadequacy,
how I knew I’d let us down,
and had no way to divert this inevitability.
The desperation I felt with each moment that passed us by—
moments I couldn’t keep snapped in a picture book, framed on a shelf,
or go back to and redo.
Some stupid gesture I made, or statement that slipped out.
I loved you more than the air I breathed,
more than the sun and the moon and every goddamned tree.
I was so naive to what it all could mean,
and so fucking lost in your beauty.

The books you read and the drawings you did,
the music you introduced me to, and the movies of The Walking Dead—
I wanted to remember each event down to the most minuscule detail.
To torture myself with the facts I’d distort:
how stupid I’d sounded, and how brilliant your every thought.
You were my first love.
With you, I experienced feelings I’d never even dreamed of.
Food tasted better, days lasted longer.
The cold air and hot summer wind were constant reminders I was alive in a world you existed in.

I could never seem to forget my unworthiness.
I could never seem to escape your every glance,
the way you observed the objects around us.
I wanted inside your head, to know every one of your thoughts.
I was obsessed with you—
with the way you understood, with the criticisms you had.
I desired to know every crevice of your skin, to memorize its scent.
I wanted nothing more in life but for you to need me in the same way a flower needs its bed.

You gave me life.
You gave me sight.
You were both mystery and romance,
breaking each assumption I held
and proving I was wrong about every clue foreshadowing the next step.
Being with you gave me more confidence about everything,
while simultaneously making me more scared than I’d ever been.
I’d never tried my hand, never felt my grip so tightly on the cards—
unwilling to play foolishly, not wanting to call or bluff.
I was stuck at the table, all in,
and I hadn’t a certainty in the world but the love for you I carried within.
Flushed, famished, floundering.

I still remember the joys we experienced and the suffering in each step,
the desires we both had and how they didn’t just disappear after our relationship ended.
That somewhere, I locked away and kept hidden the treasures we created—
the tune that still could only play for you.
A youthful discovery,
but no fleeting dalliance.
Preserved between the pages of books I still read and music I still listen to,
you became a part of me in ways I never intended you to.
Proof of love in the proof of my life,
still living on in memories we shared—
grateful for having existed in a time and space that you once did.

Oleander: The Mock Orange (Beware: The Counterfeit)

Moss Rose - 

Ranunculus, 

Burgundy Rose

My Primrose Queen Anne's Lace.

Filled with Crocus,

Cyclamen, and Waterlily.

Please, Plum...

 

Oats... 

My Pomegranate. 

Holly - Dragon Plant - 

These were Sunflowers. 

Apples, Quince;

An Almond Blossom, a Redbud.

A Scabiosa.

Gladiolus,

Without Raspberry.

Peony blossoms within me.

Mustard, Red Carnation.

I shed Heleniums.

What Scarlet Geranium.

White Rose.

Verbena.

 

Stock

- Rosemary, White Poplar - 

Pomegranate Blossoms

- Periwinkle, Peppermint - 

Michaelmas Daisy...

 

Heath, Hawthorne, Aster...

But Striped Carnation!

Black Poplar, Protea.

 

Zinnia, 

Pink Carnation.

Snowdrop...

I find Yarrow

- White Monte Casino - 

With Polyanthus and Magnolia  

 

Mistletoe!

Spirea - Scarlet Pimpernel - 

Lupine...

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

 

Confessions of Love - 

You are radiant with charms,

With unconscious beauty.

My Childhood Fantasy. 

Filled with Youthful Gladness, 

Timid Hope, and Purity of Heart. 

Please, Keep Your Promises.   

 

The Witching Soul of Music... 

My Foolishness.

Foresight - You Are Near a Snare - 

These were False Riches.

Temptations, Temptations;

An Indiscretion, a Betrayal.

An Unfortunate Love. 

 

You Pierced My Heart,

Without Remorse. 

Anger blossoms within me.

I Am Hurt, My Heart Breaks.

I shed Tears.

What Stupidity. 

A Heart Unrequited With Love. 

Pray For Me.

 

You Will Always Be Beautiful To Me

- Remembrance, Time - 

Mature Elegance

- Tender Recollections, Warmth of Feelings - 

Farewell...  

 

Solitude, Hope, Patience...

But I Cannot Be With You! 

Courage, Courage. 

 

I Mourn Your Absence, 

I Will Never Forget You.

Consolation and Hope... 

I find The Cure For a Broken Heart

- Patience - 

With Confidence and Dignity.

 

I Surmount All Obstacles!

Victory - Change - 

Imagination... 

Agapanthus: Witch Hazel (Love Letter: A Spell)

blue, hyacinth, canterbury bell                                                            (constancy)

acacia, but out loud                                                                           (secret love)

aster, white monte casino                                                                      (patience)

bell and passion flower                                                                         (gratitude)

alstromeria, honeysuckle, heliotrope                                        (devotion, affection)

broom                                                                                                  (humility)

callalily, pale peach rose, and                                                                (modesty)

dehlia, magnolia                                                                                     (dignity)

bells of ireland                                                                                    (good luck)

bougainvillea, jonquil                                                                   (passion, desire)

chervil, fern                                                                                         (sincerity)

euphorbia, edelweiss, fennel,                        (persistence, noble courage, strength)

    ginger, purple cone flower                                                                    (health)

 honesty, chrysanthemum,                                                            (honesty, truth)

     hawthorn, and heather                                                   (hope, and protection)

speedwell, wallflower, ivy                                                                         (fidelity)

oatleaf geranium                                                                         (true friendship)

stephanotis                                                                      (happiness in marriage)

this is my iris to you                                                                             (message)

lungwort                                                                                    (you are my life)

my myrtle, my red rose                                                           (my love, my love) 

 

Between Peaks and Failings

there is no good day to fight.

to wage war. 

there is no good day to die

though many of us may say so.

there are many good days to live

and yet most are spent unlived.

trapped in battles 

either in our head, or 

in fields far from our homeland. 

global strategies sought to bring us closer, 

crumble in our agony. 

failed attempts at securing diplomacy

among nations opposed to our form of democracy. 

hypocratic oaths having ensured no one's safety

illness, both viral and cancerous,

both from within and from without, 

bringing death to the forefront

the grimacing reaper

the masqued rider

this is a modern day horror story.

but it is not a fictional telling

of some dystopian future 

it is here, it is now

we are living a nightmare

trapped in a dream

where our every desire is streamlined

hooked up to a dopamine machine

drones, but

oblivious to our surroundings

we are fighting ourselves 

unable to see the real enemy

shots fired, boundaries crossed

homes, lovers, children

lost

in an insta, like a deleted scene

it was there, and now it's gone

now struggling with the memory

in the dimness 

they come with torches and pickets

to gaslight us

tying us to crosses 

they set fire

in a strange place we call home

there is no familiarity to this land

we are all strangers here

lost in the wake of division

draped in the clothing of diversity

we have come too far

to have it all fall apart here

but have we gone too far 

to turn around here...

having lost a sense of ourselves

we deceive ourselves 

with regularity

believing we are on the moral high ground

that we have out planned and out witted 

each and every enemy 

with speed and flexibility we attack unprepared

every conflict a prolonged disagreement

from a time passed

eras before when our grandmothers rode side saddle 

and men still learned how to dance

twerking was saved for marriage

and working was for honor not extravagance

in the land of the free

there has always been spying

prying

distrust in each other is not new

it was built into the breeding

praying for the general intelligence

for a superior being to see through the grift

to find our souls 

true meaning

somewhere hidden deep within us. 

blinded by our own programming

and enlightened by each novel request

we've constantly aspired to be our best

philosophizing our existence.

may we find the measure of a man

somewhere between their peaks and failings

may we find the words to win

without fighting

to save the nuclear

for energy in the winter 

a time to reignite the family