Our flickering

James O’Brien for Quanta Magazine, to be found here.

Barren it began
As the vacuum

We followed the route
to forge out of Nothing:
The Null, the Being, then again Not

Lending energy from the Lack
And rendering Selfs;
Weaving threads from Cashmere
Only to them then untie;

There was an attempt to do more:
An intent of harnessing Casimir’s
Effect to drive
Our plates together

To no avail, they were too far apart

Me and you, we sprouted like this
A casualty, a mere err
With nobody watching

Then annihilated mutually
To lend back our matters
And return to nullity