Faster than Light

At night we lie entwined 
beneath the stars
and mourn the distance
of a million burning suns
that twinkle in the sky.

Could we exceed the speed of light,
our cosmic quarantine 
would fall away,
time would reverse,
as Einstein proved,
and we'd explore exotic worlds 
before we left the Earth.

You and I would captain
the interstellar ship --
we travel faster than light
every day, every night,
perceiving events before they happen --

like when you roll over in bed,
reaching out to disarm the alarm
at ten seconds 'til,

or when I hear your hello
above rush-hour traffic
just before my cell phone rings,

or when I taste you 
licking my lips, my tongue
before you ever move close
to kiss me.

Scott Speck
05/11/2001