the smell of leaves from the trees in autumn
how creative the scent of auburn
crushed beneath our feet and how
we create moments of light and flash blindness through 
thermonuclear pulse energy heat of suns winds of hurricanes 
from weapons emitting large amounts of light and heat 
and we too absorb and emit light and heat
and we return to annihilation against our better judgment
 
for force subjects body tissue bone and organ
to shear and compression traction mechanical insult
fission the division of one into two
fusion the union of two becoming one
the character of light’s velocity unchanging so we find you
in red and gold from the beginning to now falling through our arms to the ground 

                                                                 ii.8 

Shann Ray | Atomic Theory 432, ii.9
Contents | Mudlark No. 64 (2018)