Tremulous

We’ve named so many elements we deem ourselves supreme
though elemental forces don’t agree,
the universe is more than any mortal mind can dream
despite attempts to label all we see.

Before our eyes a rich brocade
of cosmic fabric is displayed
adorned with swirling nebulae
whose complicated schemes defy
all explanation,

and every stab we feebly make
resembles infants trying to shake
the firmament with futile fits
that only magnify the ache
of consternation.

We scurry when the earth begins to squirm
and analyze the heavens for an omen we can grasp
but nothing makes the ground we trample firm
it undulates beneath us like an agitated asp.