A to Z 2016 · Poetry

B is for Biocentric Universe

Bee Andress

Apparently my random number generator knows that it is National Poetry Month, and so continues to steer me toward writing poems.

Here’s today’s prompt (another old one from Poets & Writers):

“Science is one of the most fruitful areas for poets today. Physics is especially metaphorical in its language as it attempts to describe the limits of human knowledge. Find a passage in a physics textbook that seems especially metaphorical in its description and use the language to create a lyrical description of the phenomena being described in the text.”

…. A little daunting, since this is pretty much what I know about physics:

grumpy_cat_physics

Now, “B” is not a super popular letter in physics world, so this took a bit of effort. Since I don’t have access to one of those physics textbooks (my math and science skills ended in high school and I’m never looking back), I went to the next best thing: Wikipedia!

(Sarcasm disclaimer: I went to library school. Wikipedia is NEVER the next best thing to a textbook, but it may be helpful in a pinch like this.)

b

 

The Biocentric Universe

We cannot process reality without consciousness; space and time are tools of the mind
As our internal and our external perceptions weave and loop and twine together.
All there is and can be is linked wholly to the presence of the observer;
Matter abides only in probability, awakened only by consciousness.
Life creates the universe, and the universe is perfected for life;
Time does not exist outside of our perception —
And physical events cannot occur
independent of life.

Biology
Consciousness
Internal and external
Perceptions and reality
Constants and forces and laws
Particles and elements and dust and galaxies
Stars and space and time and being and the cosmos —

Unified as one.

8 thoughts on “B is for Biocentric Universe”

    1. Thank you so much! I fought for a long while with this poem, until I realized how much the concept lent itself to a shape. It’s wonderful when things finally click together.

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  3. Sarcasm disclaimer: I went to library school. Wikipedia is NEVER the next best thing to a textbook, but it may be helpful in a pinch like this. — I’m pretty sure all academics feel this way, hahahaha.

    True story: doctors treat Google the way we treat Wikipedia.

    I loved this poem as well. Form poetry is some of my favorite, and I like that I can SEE the concept as I’m reading about it. Very cool.

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    1. Thank you so much!
      “Don’t use Wikipedia as a source” was hammered into everyone’s heads in grad school. It’s like, you’re not a real librarian if you use Wikipedia for all your research.
      I’m not surprised doctors feel the same about Google; I can’t even count the number of times I thought a sore throat was an indication I was about to die from some rare disease.

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  4. I do like physics, it talks to me. And I struggle to some degree with poetry as much of it feels random and unpredictable (and therefore nothing like physics at all). But I really liked your piece. It had a lilting feel to it, melodic but structured. I’ll be back during the month to widen my horizons again. Thank you.

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