I am of the opinion
that forever lasted five seconds
before time began,
which a beetle assured me
is not a contradiction,
since the line around a circle
runs eternally.
I asked the beetle
how he got so smart,
when mankind found physics
under an apple
laying in the yard.
And opened up Pandora’s Box
with the universe
bound up in one neat package.
But the beetle stopped talking
and left me
to worry about,
how nothing got dressed up like something
and moved into the neighborhood.
With everything coming and going
repulsing and attracting
like people making love.
And conceded
the beetle might be right
in saying,
forever had a place
beside nothing,
before it was something,
then filed for divorce
to have an affair with us.