I have no faith, but I do believe
in mass–energy equivalence
I light its candle
say its prayer
press my head against its Western Wall
because there is something holy
about an equation
its insistence on fairness
on symmetry
on equal distribution
so when I consider after-life
when my spirit is cleaved
from its form
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it gives me comfort to think:
if the constant is not me
it is, at least, the square
of the speed of light
that all parts are accounted for
and when I forget who I am
and when I forget thee
and you forget me
when the currents of our bodies halt
when the oceans rest in their beds
and the great winds give way to calm
then let us believe
the product of our lives
is greater than the sum of us
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