Wouldn’t it be better if we were microscopic

Little tardigrades rumbling around in the sand

Say it’s not an if it’s an is

Say I look up at night and feel small enough

Say I could be microscopic if

I didn’t know the theory of relativity

Or some mangled humanities version:

Space and time are relative

All things therein are relative

And relative to me, my mind is the ocean

Not the grain of sand

That’s the catch:

My theory of relativity stains everything

An ugly anthropocentric color

But if I had to choose between thinking

Of Sagittarius A, swallowing the center of the galaxy

Of our sun, clutching Earth in a red, dying embrace

Of entropy, the deathly chill at the end of the universe

I’d rather my thoughts continue, relative to myself

Relativity

Lydia O'Donnell (she/her) is an MFA candidate at the University of Alabama. Her work is forthcoming in Emerald City, Anthophile Magazine, and Swamp Ape Review. She was shortlisted for Fractured Lit's winter 2023 fast flash contest.