Einstein on the Beach*

Just an old man on the beach
staring out into the waves
eating an apple, core and all
spitting the seeds into his palm.

You'd never guess the clockwork
that runs the entire universe
consumes his focused attention
even as disappointed seagulls
watch the last morsel go down his gullet.

The melody seems monotonous
until you step away in time
and discover the subtle shifts
that relatively scream change.

It's like a walker aboard the Silver Star
slowly checking out the sleeper car
who whizzes by the beach bum
with wirey white hair on the shore.

He's just an old man sitting on the sand
with the key to the cosmos
that would open the grand unification
inserted into his mind lock
trying to determine why it won't turn.

*Inspired by Phillip Glass
and Relativity for the Millions (Einstein)