from "Einstein's Dreams"

Image by Bruce Bi

One vignette from EINSTEIN'S DREAMS

1.
"In the little cafe with the six outdoor tables and the row of petunias, a young man sits with his coffee and pastry. He has been idly observing the street. He has seen the two laughing women in sweaters, the middle-aged woman at the fountain, the two friends who keep repeating goodbyes. As he sits, a dark rain cloud makes its way over the city. But the young man remains at his table. He can imagine only the present, and at this moment the present is a blackening sky but no rain. As he sips the coffee and eats the pastry, he marvels at how the end of the world is so dark. Still there is no rain, and he squints at his paper in the dwindling light, trying to read the last sentence that he will read in his life. Then, rain. The young man goes inside, takes off his wet jacket, marvels at how the world ends in rain. He discusses food with the chef, but he is not waiting for the rain to stop because he is not waiting for anything. In a world without future, each moment is the end of the world. After twenty minutes, the storm cloud passes, the rain stops, and the sky brightens. The young man returns to his table, marvels that the world ends in sunshine."

2.
In the little cafe
with the six outdoor tables
and the row of petunias,
a young man sits with his coffee and pastry.
He has been idly observing the street.
He has seen the two laughing women in sweaters,
the middle-aged woman at the fountain,
the two friends who keep repeating goodbyes.
As he sits, a dark rain cloud makes its way over the city.
But the young man remains at his table.
He can imagine only the present,
and at this moment
the present is a blackening sky but no rain.
As he sips the coffee and eats the pastry,
he marvels at how the end of the world is so dark.
Still there is no rain,
and he squints at his paper in the dwindling light,
trying to read the last sentence
that he will read in his life.
Then, rain.

The young man goes inside,
takes off his wet jacket,
marvels at how the world ends in rain.
He discusses food with the chef,
but he is not waiting for the rain to stop
because he is not waiting for anything.
In a world without future,
each moment is the end of the world.

After twenty minutes,
the storm cloud passes,
the rain stops,
and the sky brightens.
The young man returns to his table,
marvels that the world ends in sunshine.

Alan Lightman

Poet and physicist; posted over on the Writer's Almanac
1. Lightman's prose.
2. Line breaks by Glenn Buttkus