An Even Briefer History of Time
Todd Clay Stuart

“Even between the closest people infinite distances exist.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke

Which is not to say the shores of our desire
are so vast as to keep us apart. We swim
joyously in the warm gulf between us.
And what use have I for infinity? The heart
in our chest only has so many beats. What use
have I for science? All I desire is a full moon and a half-life

of a thousand embraces each night. And if one day
scientists say an infinite void will swallow
us whole, let everyone know that we will be

in our bedroom with the curtains drawn
tangled under the covers, shaping
our own brief history of time.

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