scroll II
the Universe Weeps

___________________

Songs for a New Cosmos . • ° * ' ~ `
the Cosmanac . • ° * ' ~ `

9. Harm
[ printed on a dot matrix ]

Glory to eternal chaos !
to vastness and possibility !
cosmic pain is a
part of being Here.

but much of our
pain isn't cosmic—
undue violence
and harm . • °

incosmic self,
incosmic actions—
M E before
the Universe

a. planet
[ glowing green on a 70s computer terminal ]

drowning in icecap,
buried in bottlecap,
suffocated by
her exhaustion, Ear t h . • °

you are running
out of planet
to devour—still
you keep drilling . • °

you are running
out of excuses
to spew—still
you look to Mars . • °

b. curls
[ exploring the depths on an 80s RPG chat ]

insidious,
festering,
cesspool—
race.

slurping in its
viscous acidic juices,
this disintegrates
A L L but its baldspot.

its thick mucus of
an '°ideology°'s
kkhhocked up with
incosmic cruelties.

c. zipcode
[ typing a manifesto on a windows .txt file ]

winners always win
when losers play instead—
wracking-up their loaded die to
wack you in the jaw . • °

winners weep, then inherit—
trust funds, credit scores,
last names, fruits of
10,000 generations.

d. body
[ drafting an NSFW AIM away message ]

a whiff off
some pits on
a stuffed bus—
no homo, not straight.

a basket of
flesh just
tryna cum—
not pussy, not d°ck.

a bi-modal
distribution of
sex traits—
not woman, not man.

a call to raise
a new human
however you can—
not mama, not dad.

e. gates
[ clicking out a T9 message rant ]

curbs, stairs,
knobs, walls—
barriers to
being inside.

locks, gates,
cops, redlines—
barriers to
going places.

text, sound,
colors, language—
barriers to
half our stories.

tickets, glass,
guards, galas—
barriers to
our culture.

f. expression
[ drafting a little on a skeuomorphic notepad ]

Glory to ash and thumbs !
to expression of thought !
our USB-C cable to
Everythi n g .•°*`~^'

worms don't squeak,
mice don't squak,
cockatoos don't squirm—still,
Everyone hears the same Truth . • ° . > ~ • °

10. Intention
[ reflecting deeply in a VR headset ]

selfish in their
actions, harming any
cosmic soul—they get
what's comin' to 'em.

selfish in their
actions, harming noone
but themself—they
barely get a stanza.

selfless in Your
actions, loving
everyone but one is
incosmic in nature.

11. Impact

[ glitching in an AI-generated hologram ]

Your intentions
are between
You and*
Your god.

Your impact
is between
You and
Everyone else.

innumerable
intentions are
impactful to
one.

intentional
impact is the
inevitable
W a y .•°

scroll III
the Cosmic Renaissance
__________________

Songs for a New Cosmos . • ° * ' ~ `
the Cosmanac . • ° * ' ~ `

12. Choice
in a Universe
of tendencies,
desires feel
like friction.

in a Universe
of supernovas,
choices taste
like aspartame.

in a Universe
of Great Filters,
opinions smell
like hubris.

in a Universe
of small strings,
agency blurs
with the inevitable.

13. Onward
if humans
end humans,
Life will thrive
without* us .•°

our bones
entropically
churn into
cosmic dust .•°

A L L
hurl
toward
the Great End .•°

from fault of our
own actions, or
cataclysmic
butterfly flap .•°

a human will sing
our last song.
a record-scratch
ringing for light-years .•°

14. Bang ! (reprise)
Glory to Your Truth !
to activism, libraries,
to storycircles, and
scrapbooking clubs !•°

Glory to our Earth !
to our ancient ark.
to phytoplankton, northern lights,
to waterfalls and their rainbows !•°

.•°''`•~^°•. .•°^`'~•*°•. .•°`~^`•*'^°•.
*°•. .•°•^°'`~°•. .•°^`~•`*°•. .•°`~*`°•.

see You soon,
Ancient Traveler .•°
We A L L enjoyed
this time Together .•°

We hope You had
a chance to brea t h e . • ° *`~° *

∞. Epildog
[ from inside the Great Void ]

so far as we know
human beings are
the only ancient
galactic voyagers

to write poems
for their Dog
while He's
nappi n g .•°

13.8 billion years of
cosmic tradition
spinning wildly at the
mercy of chaos

. • ° * `~