Reece Burkaauthor

The poetic city: “Musings Under the Oaks: Contingency”

Jul 27, 2020 • Creative Writing

When a butterfly flaps, our future may be found. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Musings Under The Oaks: Contingency

For every choice we make

there are countless ones

we didn’t make.

For every outcome

there are countless others

that did not occur.

At each juncture

where we must decide

which way to go

there is no way to know

with any certainty

what the outcome

will be.

We think of ourselves

as self-directed particles

whose power lies in agency

in an expanding universe

when, in fact, contingency rules

by chance and probability

and the wavelike nature

of our presence.

Reece Burka

7/11/2020

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