Maybe it absolutely had to be
according to the laws of physics;
it often feels that way, for sure, as if
the whole history of the universe –
the creation of the elements
that made us in the hearts of vanished stars,
the forming of the galaxies and planets,
Earth’s atmosphere and seas, the flash of life
and the twisted path of evolution –
all followed a pre-determined way leading
inevitably to our meeting; call it fate
supported by science, though unsatisfying.

​

I want to believe that I made it happen
through choice and free will, like everyone else,
preferring the illusion of liberty
to the rigid dance of destiny,
but even then I can’t help remembering
that underneath the formulae of science
lies the random world of quantum mechanics,
where nothing is predictable; somehow
that element of chance then disappears
when atoms enrol in chemistry.
Even so, if in some way the lottery
survives into the world of objects and thought,
then I’m happy and will ask no more questions,
because out of trillions of permutations
this unpredictable universe gave me you.