When an ancient star collapsed about ten billion years ago
It didn’t have you in mind.
When its elements were scattered so that newer stars could grow
It didn’t have you in mind.
It’s a cyclical progression of destruction and rebirth
That eventually led to the creation of the earth,
And the chemistry of life itself, but still, for what it’s worth
It didn’t have you in mind.
It didn’t have you in mind.
When a replicating molecule turned into RNA
It didn’t have you in mind.
When eukaryotes emerged, the way we see them yet today
They didn’t have you in mind.
And when these began to merge in multicellular arrays,
When selection honed their features in so many different ways
When a multitude of species showed it’s more than just a craze
It didn’t have you in mind.
It didn’t have you in mind.
You may not want to hear it, but it’s true
The universe is not here just for you.
You really think you’re special, I’m aware
But the universe itself, it doesn’t care.
When a fortunate amphibian first crept upon the land
It didn’t have you in mind
When a fin became a lobe, became a foot, became a hand,
It didn’t have you in mind
From the big bang to the present, you’ve examined every clue
And imagine there’s a god somewhere who made it all for you
Well, you might not want to hear it, but I’m telling you it’s true
It didn’t have you in mind.
It didn’t have you in mind.
My muse today is a long-haired redhead with heavy mascara… that’s right, Tim Minchin. No, he didn’t say anything in particular to inspire this, but I hear it sung with his voice. Sort of a “not perfect” or “if I didn’t have you” combined with Tony the fish.
And yeah, I’m not in his league–if I was, I’d be doing this for a living–but fortunately or unfortunately, that doesn’t stop me from writing. And Tim, if you ever see this and want to steal it, it’s yours.
And yeah, I know the title is not a perfect fit–once I thought of it, though, I couldn’t help myself.
Another Cuttlefish poem to print out and post on my "wall of cool" at home. This makes three of yours now. I think you've outpaced the xkcd comics, but the library related posts are still winning. :)