Matter by Dann

Dann saw my wish list and said he wanted to respond to my request for poetry. So, he asked for a topic in his poem. His mission: Write a poem about the social plight of antimatter. While any normal man would have tucked his tail between his legs and ran, Dann took the challenge a step even further and wrote an emotionally charged account of the historic cultural rift between matter and antimatter. Perhaps some readers do not share the same intimacy with antimatter as I, and thus will not find the poem "emotionally charged." You are all insensitive jerks, every last one of you. Now read.

Matter
to Van from Dann

15 billion years ago
YAHWEH
Dressed in his hipcat
zoot suit
heard some jazz
flicked his hat up
looked over his sunglasses
and snapped.

And in a flash,
liquid energy
rippled in his palm
fighting itself
for what it would be.

Matter and Antimatter
a bright ball of
left crosses
elbows
and uppercuts

The game was rigged though
dissymmetry
For every billion particles of Antimatter
a billion one particles of Matter
and in the sticky swamp
hot palm
of God
Matter choked the life from Antimatter
and Antimatter
its eyes bulging
not comprehending
followed the smooth crease up
the cuff to sleeve
sleeve to collar
collar to face
soft cool face
with thin lips creeping upward
and a sparkling eye that let a wink
just as Antimatter died
just as the Universe was born.

Copyright © Van Goodwin, 2003
Last updated 2003-01-15 at 17:32 GMT
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