I Am But a Speck

A short poem about the vastness of the Universe(s) and how small is humanity.

I am but a speck, among billions of specks, which rest on a speck.  And that speck is but a speck that, among billions of specks, so too rests on a speck.  And that speck, also, is a speck that, among billions of specks, again rests on a speck...and so it goes, unending.

In the vastness of the unknown, I am irrelevant, too tiny to be seen or even imagined.  And yet I raise my hand, waving.  “Here I am!” I cry to the night sky.  “Remember me!” I shout to the heavens.  “Can you not see me?!” I lament, for I too, though infinitely small, am a child of the cosmos.

But there is only silence in response.  And so I hang my head with despair, looking at my bare feet on the soft green grass, and I reach down to pull one blade, slowly raising it to my face.  I stare at it sternly and say, “I may be a speck, but you are a speck smaller than me!” And with that, I toss it into the breeze.

And then I lie on this downy bed of grass, one blade short, and stare into the darkness filled with it’s many points of light.  I breathe deeply, accepting my place, and yet still desiring to be more.  And in my silence the  Cosmos breathes back at me, and on a wisp of wind I hear, “You are.”

Copywrite©2012

All rights reserved.

Barbara L. Brown

Author's Note

I pray at the altar of all physicists who can see beyond and revel in the joy of it.

Reviews

[Legion]

Even the smallest thing can do great or cruel things. Take a minuscule virus for instance. Let it spread and see how powerful it becomes. The cosmos is never truly silent. If you listen carefully, you will hear the its legion speaking to you. I like this piece. It is an inward look at an outward thought. Kudos.

[Rick Puetter]

Dear BLBrown,

Yes, we long to be important, to be noticed, even though we are ever so small. This is probably all part of survival instinct, i.e., that we are important and must survive no matter what. But really we are small. It's okay. We're important to ourselves and the people that love us. I do not require the entire Universe to love me. To the other vastness I am not so important. And it's okay.

Nicely expressed and greatly enjoyed.

All the best,

Rick