Reimagination of Gravity
Newton didn’t discover gravity
The apple did. He had sat
Under the tree for many
Years, until the day the
Apple fell. This is how we
Betray nature. In this poem
I plant a tree & sit under it
For many years. The year
Is counted by the length of
Each line. Some lines are
Not equal with the others
Like the fingers in Orwell’s
farm, like the year my
Father became a song I couldn’t
Sing. Too many people are silent about
Loss, until a poem drops, like the apple.
The question arises, who discovered the
loss, the poet or the poem? By my logic;
the poem. Because it speaks, unlike
the apple. For instance, you read this poem
in its own voice but look at the apple
& see a deaf thing. If I speak of my father
I must count every fallen fruit as an instance of
Loss, I must write an ode to Newton’s apple
For every poem is a reminder that we all fall.
Paul Chuks is a freelancer, poet, and storyteller. He is of Igbo descent and resides in Nigeria. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in Strange Horizons,The Atlanta Review, Hobartpulp, Maudlin House & elsewhere. He is a senior editor at Mud Season Review.