Paula

Stephen Livesey Ashworth



A quantum electronic particle
Wavers in flight, unsure of where it is.
A dozen powers of ten beneath the grain
Of daylight hides this point fantastical,
This cosmic traveller, this glue of stone,
This fallen flake of thunderstorm-lit skies,
This petty paradox electrical.
It is both up and down, both left and right,
Until you look to see, it has no place
In space but only in uncertainty.
I too am both and none without your sight:
Have I earned your love, or your enmity?
My tears know not, until they see your face,
Whether they race for sadness, or delight.


2002