The Santa Ana Literary Association will be presenting a new poem by a local poet every week this year. This week’s poem is “Tears of Osiris” by J. Martin Strangeweather.
Tears of Osiris
By: J. Martin Strangeweather
Take one fundamental thread of Creation and stretch it across eternity, laying out the tripwire. Then wait patiently. It might take an infinity or two, but something will eventually come along and spring the mechanism, triggering the formation of a universe. Allow the newly formed universe a fraction of a second to cool, then strain the leftover matter from the antimatter, regulating gravity. Adjust the frequency setting until you find a stable quantum of electromagnetic action. Settings may vary from universe to universe. After stabilizing the cosmological substratum, calibrate the energy distribution matrix to E = mc2 and set the subatomic particles aside for approximately five hundred million years, allowing the mixture enough time to congeal into stars and galaxies. Once the first batch of stars begins to go supernova, stir in the remaining elements and let the universe simmer for an additional ten billion years, occasionally checking for signs of life. Remember, in order to destroy your enemies, you must first create them. When programming rudimentary biological algorithms, it’s important not to confuse DNA codes with RNA codes. Also, during the early phase of biospheric construction, be sure not to mistake the greenish blue algae button for the bluish green mold button, or the violet wire for the ultraviolet wire. Try not to get your wires crossed in general. The initial development of life requires infernal conditions. You were born from seas of magma and rivers of hellfire, cataclysmic earthquakes, poisonous sulfuric clouds. Once the earliest multicellular lifeforms take shape, soak the biosphere in primal fear for two to three billion years. Evolution may vary from biosphere to biosphere. At the first sign of civilization, pour in a liberal dose of greed and sprinkle with shame. Wait approximately ten thousand years for modernity to occur, then massacre eleven million Native American Indians, exterminate six million Jews, execute two million Cambodians, butcher one million Armenians, slaughter eight hundred thousand Rwandans, eradicate seven hundred thousand Australian aborigines, and drop two atomic bombs that wipe out two hundred thousand Japanese civilians. Intentionally starve fifteen million Hindus, three million North Koreans, and one million Tibetans. Enslave three million Africans in the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness knowing full well that all men are created equal. Collect the blood and tears resulting from these atrocities and use the accursed liquid to marinate humanity’s collective unconscious for seven to ten generations, until irreparable psychogenetic damage occurs, transforming every thought, every utterance, and every perception into something monstrous, manufacturing a zombified world of radioactive oceans under X-ray skies, everything you touch… contaminated… with tiny invisible monsters. Increase the level of dishonesty to a billion lies per second and check frequently for mass extinction while chanting, “The fragrant lotus only grows from the muck of the swamp,” and praying for all the sour grapes to rot into heady wine.
J. Martin Strangeweather is the Chief Executive Prognosticator & Oneiric Director of Thaumaturgical Research for the Santa Ana Literary Association. Born and raised in Santa Ana, Mr. Strangeweather has spent most of his existence studying art, theology, philosophy, and physics (with an emphasis on relativity theory and quantum mechanics), and he can say with confidence that the three most valuable lessons in life are: 1. We should all try to be a little kinder. 2. We should all try to be a little more patient. 3. We should all try to be a little more forgiving.