From a wall in a room with cosmologists.
It was an enviable position, according to some. To be what I was, a fly on the walls in which they met. I was hoping to get out, but made the best of my lot, listening. If I did escape, I was hoping to at least be able to share an uncommon view of the cosmos, but my findings were inconclusive.
Surely you must have heard something.
Well. They know it’s big.
There’s a start.
When it comes to origins, they can speculate as to when, but have no idea what, except hot. In recent decades, they have at least become aware that they are only seeing what’s observable to them. One thing that’s really got some of them worked up is about how the further away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving. Away. From what they can see.
Hmm, and they don’t find this discouraging?
Nope. They are very persistent. It’s adorable, really. And they have all these little naming games and such and can’t help characterizing all the forces with various personalities. Like, they have this one saying they love to repeat. Let me see if I can get it. It goes: Space meeting Matter says, “Move like this!” and Matter, meeting Space, says, “No, curve!”
So now what are they onto?
Mostly a sense that they are missing something. That it’s right there, on the horizon.
In the part that’s moving away fast, or the slower part?
I don’t know. That’s when they finally opened a window.
***
Inspired by this article. And by the work of Georgi Gospodinov, which often features sentient flies.