RANDOM HANDSHAKES - ALI H. RADDAOUI

Saturday, February 6, 2010


Sometimes, the vista of options opens up and one finds oneself faced with an exciting array of paths to walk. While we may think of this as a specifically human tendency, it seems to me that the question of how an entity constructs its destiny is on the minds of many, including a stray atom, the subject of this piece.

***
PATHS AHEAD

An atom just out of a cyclotron
After some two score years of supervision
In hopes that she learn
To bend to the admin
Ducked in the stem of a fern
And sat wondering,
‘Boy have I got so many options
I’m not even sure where to begin!
I could on the screen of the moon
Post an ad and find a room.
I could even elect to abscond
With a fellow atom
Chucked out of this hell machine.
Then again, I could seek asylum
In the cyclotron
On the other side of the line.
It’s friendly, I hear, to homeless atoms.
When worst comes to worst,
I could reclaim my position
And simply succumb.
But, hell no!
That’s not for me
Now that I am set free
I don’t give a damn about gravity
Nor will Chaos steer my destiny
I’ll see what I can be
With the electrons around me
Ah, I’ll just take a wink
And let my dreams guide me.

Ali H. Raddaoui
February 5, 2010


2 comments:

Abigail Blue Jay Stone said...

I like your playfulness within the serious in your poetry. I am that atom. Thanks for this wonderful piece.
Your writing is charged with energy and knowledge.
And I am a great fan of the comments you leave on my blog. You are a restorative.

Ali H. Raddaoui said...

I too like the posts on your blog, and I have revisited it quite a number of times lately. I am eager to see some new posts. Thanks for your kind words.