We Matter

Even if we don’t, we matter.
Even though the altruism of our cells
is in dispute—many scientists prefer
to agree with many economists—
we do matter, and we are matter,
with that whirling emptiness
at the center
of each of our atoms.

So we aren’t exactly matter
if we can be broken down
to whirling emptiness
and our constituent theoretical ever re-defined parts,
mostly math.

Everything is happening now,
we are told, expanding or contracting,
moving toward order or disorder.
There are words for it: entropy, electron.
Things that escape
measurement or their expected behavior.

Just as I escape the suggestion
that people are interchangeable
parts of some social or economic machine,
since even science tells me
each zygote is, in fact, unique.

Yes, even I matter. 
Even you.

Kathleen Kirk

Kathleen Kirk’s street number is 108, a sacred number in Hinduism, yoga, and Cubs lore. She writes a blog 8 days at week at https://kathleenkirkpoetry.blogspot.com/.