Cosmology

Miriam Fraser

Roll up, roll up 
    for COSMOLOGY, a carousel ride  
come on in, escape from the night     come, let us bedazzle you with bright sounds and
pretty lights   fly on wild-eyed horses with elegant names who strain at their bridles in
endless pursuit of their tails   their hand-coloured swirls and drop shadow scrolls will rise
you up with a whoop and dip you down with a sigh    so cling on tight to their manes as
spacetime whirls by    watch how it spirals through blue-green to red-gold    the faster 
you go the more hypnotic it seems    you can jump aboard wherever you like so    
come on in 
let's all go for a spin 

start with an easy mount like old QUESTION because truth contrives 
to stay hidden so next try OBSERVATION, the stallion: his faraway gaze 
sees the universe begin   then sit tight for a while on DATA to state: 'It was once
infinitely tiny...'   and after that take HYPOTHESIS, a hack 
to correct: 'But it appears to be rapidly growing...'  and as the music swells 
you pick up speed   so switch to REFINE, another tack: 'Wait, no  
it's actually slowing...'   but soon the organ changes its tune and you'll be 
bucked by the old mule THEORY: ' so it must surely collapse    and beyond that
there's Nothing to see here     forever'   ah! PREDICTION 
is such a crazy mare   she's gallops past the ghost horse IMAGINATION   
who leaves you with dark thoughts and pondering the laws 
that govern us now  'Did they exist before?'  which leads you back again 
to giddy up QUESTION

you'll misstep away to reflect 'Will the Nothing give birth to a new universe?'    
perhaps   but now the giant roosters have taken over the show    
and the merry-go-round has lurched off its bearings

The Science

Until recently mysterious dark energy, 68% of the universe, was thought to be constant - ultimately leading to expansion from the Big Bang towards a Big Rip. Now new data from Prof Lee and his team of Yonsei University suggests dark energy is 'going up and down', possibly weakening gravity and leading to a Big Crunch. Apparently this is a shake up for the whole of physics. My poem expresses my frustration with the application of scientific method to something as insubstantial and theoretical as infinite spacetime. Trying to get my head around it all makes me dizzy.

The Poet

Miriam Fraser has been a museum educator, teacher and tutor. She now spends her time doing many creative things including writing. One of her poems has appeared in Pulsebeat Journal, another in Consilience Journal. She has had artwork accepted by Hedgerow Journal and also two short stories published by Belwood publishing. She lives in the Midlands, UK.

Next poem: Doors Revolving by Lin Lune