Tidal Forces

Noah Bice

I
Am I a brute to think
That I can shoulder my longing,
Quietly,
Covetously,
When heat begets inertia,
And inertia begets the tides?

I
I’ve walked forty miles this week, so far,
Sending you away at every step,
Still, you surround me,
Shrouded in wildflowers,
Masquerading as the sun, the stars,
The well of tension between them.

I
This unyielding air colors my lungs,
Its lips, too, are anointed
With the taste of your name,
Are you really so indifferent
About its idling on my tongue,
About its dewing on my skin?

The Science

This poem is built around the last two lines of the first stanza. According to the theory of relativity, a system’s gravitational influence and inertial mass increase with its energy content. Compressed springs create larger wells in spacetime than otherwise identical uncompressed ones. Scalding cups of coffee resist acceleration more than otherwise identical tepid ones.

I want to consider the interplay between these phenomena – heat, inertia, and gravitation – as they exist within human emotion, specifically in unrequited love. Attraction can feel overwhelmingly energetic, paralyzing, and distorting. There is tension in attraction. There is tension between the emotions that attraction evokes.

The Poet

Dr. Noah Bice is a medical physicist living in Austin, Texas. He works in local radiation oncology clinics and lectures for the radiation therapy undergraduate program at Texas State University.

Next poem: Unwound by Cristina Ghita