It remains, recalcitrant
Cagen Johnston
In a continuum there is no “next”. In the first place,
what do we mean by time? Repeatedly we have come up
against the problem. We must not waste time.
And yet, we mustn’t be too hasty. Even on this there is
an evident vagueness in the authoritative expression.
At some point, in our delusion, we attempted to quantify time.
How foolish! Sometimes, it would seem as if the whole earth
counted as a single point. Nothing else. On its own account,
how is it to be defined, and in what, if any, circumstances is it possible?
Struggling to breathe silently in the room. To get stuck in time.
You think, could we not dispense with time altogether
since it has become little more than conventional names
systematically assigned? It is natural to ask.
What the physicist has to say is destructive
to the common-sense notion of “seeing”. For example,
the physical world is destitute of color. The child sees herself
in the mirror as a scientist, she decides not to bear children.
Here is an old bridge, full of consequences.
Someone says, mirrors often deceive young children and animals.
A 102-year-old person is also child.
The reason is partly that is has arisen gradually. Next, we will childishly
claim to understand saudade.
Cagen Johnston lives in Brooklyn, New York. More of her work can be found at gravitonlit.com.