by Tony Schanuel
All and After
The radio physicist’s voice is
an invisible wave I surf,
trying not to get pulled under
in a rip tide—
(I float)
as he speaks
of particles, the unseen,
the unknown,
the existence of nonexistence
all around
dark matter–
I swallow a gram
in my coffee;
dark energy holds
us together
(we float)
and we ourselves,
are spinning particles,
tiny universes that light passes through,
so that we glow,
though we can’t see it,
nor feel the shift in gravity
as infinitesimal black holes whizz by.
But I think of the prospect, extant
other worlds–the one where
you still live
in a hidden valley of improbable
possibility,
separated from me
by a dimensional barrier—
your outstretched hand
(floating)
never—but almost—
touching mine.
Merril D. Smith is a poet and historian who lives in southern New Jersey near the Delaware River. Her work has been published in Black Bough Poetry, Acropolis, Anti-Heroin Chic, The Storms, Fevers of the Mind, Gleam, and Humana Obscura, among others. Her full-length poetry collection, River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press) was Black Bough Poetry’s December 2022 Book of the Month. Twitter: @merril_mds Instagram: mdsmithnj Blog: merrildsmith.org
Tony Schanuel is an award-winning photographer and visual artist who has fused a professional background in photography, digital technology, and painting and mark making to create fine art that transcends those mediums. His work has been featured in Digital Imaging Magazine, Computer Graphic Magazine, Wild Heart Journal, St. Louis Design Magazine, and is a featured artist in Cyber Palette and Extreme Graphics, two books showcasing digital artists and their work. He has exhibited at the Florence Biennale and his art is held in private and corporate collections including the Fine Arts Museum of Houston permanent photographic collection. http://www.schanuelphoto.com/.