Get Your Premium Membership

Serious fun

They say for every grain of sand on earth
there is a star somewhere in the universe 
But it’s not true 
there are more stars by far 
About ten thousand for every grain of sand 
give or take a few, 
Who’s counting anyway 
well I am!

Why?

Talk about overkill!
Why does the universe 
need 2 trillion galaxies 
each packed with 100 billion stars?

I’ll tell you why!

Because that’s the exact amount 
you need to ensure one Goldilocks planet 
like our earth forms, with intelligent beings 
capable of figuring all this out, 
whilst living on it

Yeah but to what end?

Think about it!
without us humans to observe 
and study the universe 
It may as well be a mere 
meaningless empty firmament 
that frogs look up at, 
when mating under the night sky! 

Here’s a little secret 
the universe cannot think for itself 
It needs conscious sentient intelligent beings,
to come into focus, and give it meaning 
We are the universe,
the universe is us, 
Both one and the same,
inevitabilities of eternity 

Oh one could argue 
the universe would still be here if I weren’t here 
Just like when I die
It’ll still be here
But will it!
how can I know without consciousness,
and therein (lies) the bare (truth)

It may as well not be here
when I come to pass 
Insofar as I’m concerned it won’t be, 
But the atoms and information that made me 
will always be around 
So where does my consciousness go
I’m not much good without it 
let’s be honest 
probably equally as bad with it too

#Listen! I’m leaving all afterlife possibilities 
aside just for now 
because I cannot explain or understand them,
Besides being agnostic 
is my cop out card#

Anyway 
I live inside eternity of that I’m pretty sure 
so everything that happens 
stays inside eternity 
even my consciousness

And as everyone knows
an infinite amount of infinities 
reside inside eternity, 
meaning all consciousness 
must be inside eternity 
in an infinite amount of diverse ways 

So even if the universe rips itself apart, 
or implodes with a Big Crunch 
it can only rebound in an energy exchange
and form a new universe, 
(another big bang)

Then after 14 billion years or so,
in one of its 2 trillion future galaxies 
each packed with 100 billion stars, 
another version of me 
will recombobulate back together 

Hopefully it’s the Bill Gates version 
with George Clooney looks, 
Schwarzenegger’s body
and Einstein’s brain, 
next time around! 

So you see 
I am here 
because I have to be here
I honestly had no choice 
But hey that’s just me!
Maybe you came for 
a different reason
and that’s fine too!

Besides if I’m wrong,
and a god/goddess did build 
this universe for unknown reasons 
like personal amusement, 
Am I not fulfilling my duty to them, 
by writing such seriously fun things! 

to be conscious or not to be conscious 
~ that is the only question 

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Date: 7/28/2024 6:46:00 AM
When I started out reading this David I wasn't sure if I was going to end up filing it under The Open University or that section in The Meaning Of Life when Eric Idle sings 'The Galaxy Song'. Neither or both..who knows? What I do know is It pans out to be a very well written, very clever, articulate and fun to read free verse.. I like your use of questions that helps drive the narrative. I also love oxymorons...especially as titles. :) Cheers - Gary
Login to Reply
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 7/28/2024 9:07:00 AM
Thank you Gary for resurrecting this one from relative obscurity, back into the light for a few moments anyway, perhaps like I was saying in the poem, everything resides inside of eternity and will always be there in some shape or form, even the Galaxy song, Which is brilliant for harvesting live liver donations, so we must be careful when mentioning it lol! Serious fun writing this one for sure, and I entertained the gods too, cheers David
Date: 2/19/2024 3:38:00 PM
While I can't say it made me chuckle it nevertheless was quite a well written, tongue in cheek poetic treatise on your belief system. Hey, thx for supporting the contest
Login to Reply
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 2/19/2024 4:07:00 PM
No worries, I have a habit of always writing these agnostic ones for myself first before the actual contest, for fear of insulting others belief systems, I always thought this one might amuse more, than bring chuckles, thanks for stopping by nonetheless!
Date: 2/18/2024 9:40:00 AM
A poem with an oxymoronic title has my attention. None of us choose to be here, and that line made me think of people who've screamed, "I wish I'd never been born!" That's a reflection on the last two lines of your post. A thought...if we were not conscious, we would have nothing to question.
Login to Reply
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 2/18/2024 11:27:00 AM
Ha! Sometimes I do that too Lin if a rabbit hole labyrinth forms, but most of the time I resolve the eternity paradox to my satisfaction, and I’m happy for another cycle, ;)
Lane Avatar
Lin Lane
Date: 2/18/2024 10:08:00 AM
It's a thought I've pondered in the religious scope of life for years. Yes, it could be a perpetual mind-boggling cycle if we allow it to be. I blink twice and think of something else.
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 2/18/2024 9:59:00 AM
Heya Lin! (if we were not conscious, we would have nothing to question) of course I agree, but I’m going a little further and postulating without consciousness there is absolutely nothing, only oblivion, which cannot be measured by time, meaning an infinite amount of time can pass by instantaneously until consciousness kicks in, it’s all a perpetual cycle; (people wishing they were never (born) I’ve heard that line screamed too, and it’s a sure giveaway none of us chose this life, I know it’s all pretty bonkers, but I so much enjoy pondering eternity, Cheers David
Date: 2/16/2024 12:21:00 PM
Cheers David! A bit of a rebutle. Western thinking, humans are the only ones with a conscious mind. Indigenous peoples believe all nature, world, is conscious and shall continue to be. I didn't know about the frogs looking at the stars, like us they also croak! Wonderful Science philosophic little treatise..ah, I loved the humor, along with George Clooney & wife, she is brilliant. But who knows some believe that it just may have been our choice to be born Bodhisattva's will themselves to come back to help humanity. Very interesting, energy cannot be destroyed!
Login to Reply
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 2/16/2024 1:06:00 PM
That line is probably the most important one, well spotted!
Kavanagh  Avatar
David Kavanagh
Date: 2/16/2024 1:04:00 PM
I rebut, your bit of a rebuttal Anaya, frogs are cold blooded creatures, so don’t care about anything whatsoever lol! But seriously I can only vouch for humans building telescopes, satellites, and particle accelerators, to view and measure the universe, a different type of consciousness is upon us (that damn human condition) Yeah a bit of fun with science and philosophy here, cheers David
Anaya Avatar
I Am Anaya
Date: 2/16/2024 12:36:00 PM
Must add, as I laugh out loud...clever last stanza of god, godess!

Book: Reflection on the Important Things