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I don’t think about the Multiverse theory very often.
Too much else to do, to be honest.
Work. Laundry. Cooking. Netflix.
My day fills up too quickly for philosophizing.

But this morning on my way to work,
a kid ran out in front of my car
I saw him out of the corner of my eye.
My heart skipped a few beats
as I slammed on the brake pedal.
The kid never even realized...
he almost died in the middle of the street.

I thought about the multiverse.
Somewhere there is another universe
where some other me hit him.

If there is a universe for every possibility,
is there a universe where all the bad things happened?
Every near miss was a direct hit?

The me who hit the kid
didn’t catch the dish I dropped this morning
before it shattered on the kitchen floor,
forgot to turn off the burner last night
after my evening chamomile tea,
and sat next to my mom in the ICU
the day she didn’t miraculously pull through.



Jenny Thompson is an IT professional by day and an avid reader the rest of the time. This poem is her first published piece. You can reach her on Twitter: @JennyRThompson.
Current Issue
22 Apr 2024

We’d been on holiday at the Shoon Sea only three days when the incident occurred. Dr. Gar had been staying there a few months for medical research and had urged me and my friend Shooshooey to visit.
...
Tu enfiles longuement la chemise des murs,/ tout comme d’autres le font avec la chemise de la mort.
The little monster was not born like a human child, yelling with cold and terror as he left his mother’s womb. He had come to life little by little, on the high, three-legged bench. When his eyes had opened, they met the eyes of the broad-shouldered sculptor, watching them tenderly.
Le petit monstre n’était pas né comme un enfant des hommes, criant de froid et de terreur au sortir du ventre maternel. Il avait pris vie peu à peu, sur la haute selle à trois pieds, et quand ses yeux s’étaient ouverts, ils avaient rencontré ceux du sculpteur aux larges épaules, qui le regardaient tendrement.
We're delighted to welcome Nat Paterson to the blog, to tell us more about his translation of Léopold Chauveau's story 'The Little Monster'/ 'Le Petit Monstre', which appears in our April 2024 issue.
For a long time now you’ve put on the shirt of the walls,/just as others might put on a shroud.
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