Issue: Spring/Summer 2021
“The math confirms this biosphere
is highly similar to ours.”
“And the probes postulate their digits
determined their digits.”
“Yes. They add and multiply,
then subtract and divide.”
“Can they simplify?”
“Probably. But they generally
complicate things.”
“Highly irrational.
And the zero?”
“It determines everything. But some
will always translate it to nothing.”
Diane Thiel has published ten books of poetry and nonfiction, and a new book of poetry, Questions from Outer Space, is forthcoming from Red Hen Press in Spring 2022. Thiel’s work has appeared in many journals, including Poetry and The Hudson Review and is re-printed in numerous anthologies. A Professor at the University of New Mexico, her awards include PEN, NEA and Fulbright Awards. With her husband and four children, she has traveled and lived in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia, working on literary and environmental projects. She thanks her daughter, Christabel, for performing the second voice in the recording. Read about Thiel’s work at www.dianethiel.net