Einstein’s Theory of Simultaneity… or Not Now Albert

Jonathan Humble

after Albert Einstein and Thomas Morley

It’s about time
but now is not the time
for it is not how now works.

Fa la la la la la la la la,

In fact now is meaningless;
now is a clumsy construct
from Newton’s classical calendar.

...fa la la la la la laah

Behind the times,
now is neither here
nor is now there.

Fa la la la la la la la la,

For time is not on now’s side
and to live for now
would be wasting time.

...fa la la la la la laah

You see, existence transcends time
So, there is no now.
Now does not stand the test of time.

Fa la la la la la la la la,

Now’s not the month of maying
when merry lads are playing,
for participles (past or present) are pointless.

...fa la la la la la laaaah!

The Science

The poem was inspired while working in the library. Time had ground to a halt (the clock on the wall stating that it was a quarter past three with both minute and hour hands refusing to move towards four o’clock closing time).  After researching Einstein’s theory of simultaneity, I decided to mark the experience with a poem. Einstein states that time has no absolute meaning, i.e. there is no “now”. This idea contrasts nicely with the certainty of what the time is as expressed by Morley in the lyrics of his 16th century madrigal Now is the Month of Maying.

The Poet

Jonathan Humble lives in Cumbria. A short collection of his work (Fledge) was published by Maytree Press in 2020. He edits The Dirigible Balloon showcasing poetry for children and he writes regularly for the Yorkshire Times, reviewing poetry collections and publishing articles on a range of subjects. He delivers poetry workshops for Wordsworth Grasmere and also appeared as the Poet in a Fridge for the Radio Cumbria Poetry Takeaway during the BBC ‘Contains Strong Language Festival’ at Tullie House in Carlisle.

Next poem: Evolving by Leigh Therriault