The Wonder Poem by Allan Thorne

Scientists figure that
The average density of the universe
Is between two and eight
Hydrogen atoms per cubic yard
Of space.

The size of those atoms
Is comparable to a grape seed
In a football stadium.
With the grape seed
Being the nucleolus
And the electron being
Out in the stands somewhere.

The universe is
Overwhelmingly empty space.

To be something,
Anything
In all this nothing is:

Miraculous
To a degree that makes
The parting of the Red Sea
Look like a cheap parlor trick.

Improbable
To a degree that makes
A penny tossed against a wall
And coming to rest on its edge
Seem like an everyday occasion.

To be able
To feel pleasure
And pain
To love and dream
To laugh and cry
Is just icing on the cake.