BY JAY WELLER
IN FOURTEEN HUNDRED AND NINETY TWO
COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE
HE STEPPED UPON THE NATIVE SANDS
A GRAIN OR TWO FELL IN HIS SHOE
TWO HUNDRED MILLION YEARS BEFORE
I SLID OFF THE BACK OF A DINOSAUR
OFF THE TAIL AND TO THE SIDE
AND TOOK THE HAIR OF MY CAVEMAN BRIDE
KING ARTHUR LAID UPON THE FUNERAL PYRE
LIT BY THE BREATH OF A DRAGON’S FIRE
THE FINAL BLAST, THE DRAGON CHOKED
BUT CLEARED HIS THROAT WITH A COUGH OF SMOKE
ABOUT FIVE BILLION YEARS FROM NOW
THE SUN WILL TAKE ITS FINAL BOW
FOLLOWED BY A DYING GASP
EXPLODING ATOMS FROM ITS GRASP
THE YEAR IS TWO THOUSAND TWELVE
A BOOK IS PLACED UPON THE SHELF
UPON THAT SHELF THERE IS A FLY
COMPRISED OF MATTERS LONG GONE BY
A COUGH OF SMOKE
A GRAIN OF SAND
A HAND OF HAIR
AND HYDROGEN
THE FLY WILL WALK ACROSS THE WALL
A BILLION BUGS IN A BATHROOM STALL
ALL THESE THINGS FROM ONE SAME PLAN
PROTONS, NUETRONS, ELECTRONS ALL
CAN SAY THIS NOW WITH SOME RELIANCE
THROUGH ONLY GOD CAN BRING RELIANCE
FROM DRIFTING MATTERS COMES ALLIANCE
THROUGH MANY TIERS OF ATOMIC SCIENCE