I leave to the various futures (not to all) my garden of forking paths.
- Ts’ui Pên, "The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges
My past is left behind in old film stock
whose frames were worn and scratched — the reels were thrown
away to decompose. The instant now
is all that I possess, as quantum paths
are summed and futures hold my next rote lines.
With Schrödinger's lab cat asleep, I split
into all possibilities. But when
I dare to look — I know not when — I think,
Would it be me or other-me that writes
the next blank verse that futures will record?
placed in the imaginary garden with real toads, for a Jorge Luis Borges birthday prompt
iambic pentameter - one of my favs :).
ReplyDeletejust a few days ago i was talking to a friend about alternative universes...and right after that i bumped into Kerry's challenge, and implicitly into your poem. indeed, the "now" is all that we have, all the rest is relative...nicely done!
Oh so very clever!
ReplyDeleteThis line, particularly, captures the idea of indeterminate certainties: "futures hold my next rote lines.."
This is a brilliant response to the prompt. Thank you for sharing your work on Real Toads.
I agree with Kerry~ You took the prompt to an interesting, unique and nicely constructed place. Impressed!
ReplyDelete"will it be me or other-me?" I love it. And "I split into all possibilities." Wow.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT is the question!!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great response to an interesting prompt. You placed the questions and philosophy in with such grace and ease.
ReplyDeleteI think I live with me and other me all the time...I blame it on being a Pisces.
ReplyDeletei love the leap to schrodinger from the borges. quantum theory is where poetry and science become something weightier and hold more import than either could carry on their own.
ReplyDelete'The instant now
is all that I possess, as quantum paths
are summed and futures hold my next rote lines.'
the paradox of lines being both 'rote' and 'future'... excellent.
brilliant piece.