Relativity Certain

Once, in a state of exquisite clarity,
I lost my pen.
It slipped from my grasp
and remained motionless
as I kept moving"
a thousand miles an hour
in the revolution of the planet,
or was it my thoughts?

But the point is,
gravity inkwells do exist,
and they can be terrifying.

By the time I realized
what was happening,
it was already hanging over New York.

So I waited for a revolution,
I stood in the same space
for twenty-four hours,
thinking I could catch it
on the next cycle.

Unfortunately,
I neglected to understand"
the Earth also circles the sun
at 67,000 miles per hour.

At this point,
the tension was killing me.

To be responsible for such an anomaly
could only be met with
all manner of reprimand.
The universe would not be pleased.

Worse still,
the sun spirals through the galaxy
at 483,000 miles per hour,
while the Milky Way
hurtles across the universe
at 1.83 million.

Feeling woozy as the realization struck me:
that at any given moment,
we are moving at
1,851,000 mph.

No matter how long I waited,
I could never retrieve
my Medium Point Uniball pen.

Thank goodness it wasn’t a fine point"
I could never do the calculations.

But my point is"
we are always in a state
of suspended animation.

If we were truly aware
of our motion"
that in each step we take,
we travel thousands of miles"
a truly herculean feat,
we could never perceive
much of anything.

We would all be
like the characters
in an old sci-fi movie,
frozen in our seats,
helpless in a warp drive.

I accepted my fate.

For I was relatively certain
that it was really just
a matter of time
before someone
discovered my pen,
hanging out there in the cosmos,
breaking every law
of physics known to man.

For nothing is static.

And they will know---
it was mine.

 

 

© 2025 Robert Trakofler

Author's Note

Robert · Relativity Certain

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I would hope whoever found the pen would use it as well as you do, brother bunny.
I understand the notion of this piece...I have felt so lost when days go by without my muse. It is like my seeing-eye dog...I need it to move forward without breaking any bones in my brain and heart.
And I am relatively certain of all of that.
j.

[Robert Trakofler]

The problem is, it is so damn slippery one wrong sentence, one incompetent thought or lost intention can send us spiraling into the cosmos :(

[Dylan Macadham]

Such a Fun read! ...relatively speaking :) and informative and well phrased. A space traveler aboard the U.S. PenmanShip😅

[MCS]

Because of a law such as gravity, the universe can and is creating itself from nothing. Now, if only words could follow that same law and fill the pages as we desire them to do, even in the absence of the muse. Nice twists and turns here, Robert.

[Robert Trakofler]

Well at least one thing I know for certain about the universe… it does love to be admired :)

[Neville]

Crikey when that hits I sure hope it lands nib up otherwise you may not be able to use it again bro .. tis brill tho' & I still aint talkin fish .. write on Robert just make sure you neva run out of ink .. Your BIGGEST fan Me

[Robert Trakofler]

If I see it would you please grab it for me so sure don’t want to go to literary prison if the poetry police find it first

[Neville]

................... I'll do me bloomin best 😎👍

[Einstein Noodle]

so that's were that pen came from! :) the relativity speed thing has triggered my Menneir's vertigo ... sitting still.
E.

[Robert Trakofler]

It is only fitting that Mr Einstein’s noodle should be the first to read this lol sorry about the dizziness if you grab hold of the pen it should settle it down :)

[Einstein Noodle]

i can't find it :)))))))))))))))))))))))