Effect
by Sam M. Phillips

I let the world around me move me,
I’ve found its lessons
Are always trying to improve me,
The ancients speak of being stoic,
But I don’t think there is anything heroic
In remaining static
Among the frantic
Action of life,
To exist is strife,
Rife with energetic pulses,
My magnetic field convulses,
Yield then repulses
Forces that act against,
Lack any defence
To stop this natural flow,
I grow with the strain
Of working through the pain,
The imprint will remain
Regardless of how little I show it,
Glow lit,
Shadow slit,
Electrons exist as probability waves
Until my unique ability saves
One possible outcome,
All this done
By my unknowable consciousness,
Test of faith
As this wraith
Acts upon me,
Don veil to see
A single shape,
Existential cape,
Essential drape
That falls over our eyes,
Average mind denies,
But this flies
In the face of my search for truth,
I lurch towards proof
Just for it to prove aloof,
Roof collapsing,
Regrets relapsing,
Cowardice collapsing
As I let the waves wash over me,
Smash and cover me,
I’m a lover of all I see,
And I recognise its effect on me.

***

My debut short story collection is here!

INFINITY AND I: Seventy Science Fiction Short Stories

Get a copy here: INFINITY AND I: Seventy Science Fiction Short Stories