Aphelion Issue 301, Volume 28
December 2024 / January 2025
 
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Ess Is Greater Than Or Equal To Zero

by Rico Salvatore


Time, a facet's name for a ticking clock.
A name we give to a song whose ratings rocked.
A phase of the moon,
or when you bail and fail,
doing some time in jail.

If you consider the totality of the concept, a construct at best,
do you think the universe really has concerns or considerations
to what some monkeys to believe their fair time interpretation
of the universe's birth or bounce X number of years ago?

Yet, we seem all to accept this construct of time
focused upon us as the center from which all things are judged and rendered.
Time, something to cook by, to plant and harvest by, to indicate a local age,
something to pay your taxes by, a tool no more no less
that's become a straight jacket, agreed upon by us,
all the apes here on the planet, rushing back and forth.
And still the universe really does not care.

Things follow things, but that's not time,
not the time you think it is.
The Earth spins, the moon waxes and wanes.
Time strictly an earthno-centric ape driven patterned concept
that does allow us to develop, separates work from play
but not real in the universal sort of way.

****

Please note, A Public Service Announcement:
Taxes here due on the 15th of April,
with interest charged per annum
and a multi year jail sentence should you fail.


© 2024 Rico Salvatore

Rico Salvatore (BA, CAS, DOM) is a man of mystery… He began writing short stories and poems about 18 years ago after his exile from the Train Wreck Cluster 811 million parsecs from Earth for blaspheming the local political gods.

To assuage his home sickness, he has self-published 4 children’s books including one self-illustrated book of poems.

Rico was the art editor of Quantum Muse and has been published in Aphelion-webzine.com, Orion’s Arm.com, ShortHumour.org.uk, Poetry Hall a Chinese & English Bilingual Journal and has few stories in the anthologies: “A Flash of Aphelion,” “Fantastical Savannahs And Jungles”, “XENOBIOLOGY”, “BLEAKEST TOWERS” and soon to be released anthology “OF POETS, SPIES, AND THE UNEARTHLINESS IN THE TIME OF SHAKESPERE AND MARLOW” coming out in January 2023 where he has a poem written in an early/mid English style. He’s assisted with the translation of some poetry for a Chinese poet.

While on the planet he studied at The Art Students League in NYC and later picked up a degree in History with an advanced certification in Asian Studies from Rutgers University. Postgraduate studies concentrated in Chinese maritime history.

He with his 2 partners started and owned one of the first nationally based resume database companies specializing in high tech, computer security and various advanced systems of specialized and classified nature.

Rico may be contacted at ricoglg1033@gmail.com

Find more by Rico Salvatore in the Author Index.