Bullseye
A poem is sending a gaze through the forest.
Finding the gaps between every,
a straight shot through to the otherside.
One infinity line.
Then, having asked each passed thing for its name
and pronouns, sitting back to reconcile magnitude,
neighbor and time. Noting that all days have led
to this moment— to you, a little larger than the
entire universe. To them, a small, glorious breath.
It’s powerful to think of ‘looking’ having an impact, a brushing and acknowledging of each thing in your line of vision — perhaps, witness. What does it mean to witness something? Naming it? Touching it? Learning the way it identifies? Quantum physics has some thoughts…
”A little larger than the entire universe” is a reference to the wonderful collection of poems of the same name by Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese (and French/English) poet that had well over 40 heteronyms (pseudonyms) and published works under a large number of them. Often times they would represent different sides of his beliefs, personality and politics. He was a big Whitman fan… really leaned into the “I contain multitudes” bit.