Escape From Oblivion
It was long thought that nothing
— not even light, not even a thought —
could ever escape a black hole.
But science has been missing something.
Over time
black holes leak the secrets
of everything that fell in
— sweet or sour
— male or female
— matter or antimatter
Information encoded in the twisting of light beams leaves
a telltale pattern on the horizon.
Everything is not swallowed inside
like a magician’s cloak. Black
holes evaporate. You could get out
— at least in principle.
Stephen Hawking tells us
not to be so afraid. Black holes are not
the eternal prisons they were thought.
If you feel trapped, don’t give up.
There is a way out. Limits
can always be transcended.
Found poem from a June 7, 2016, New York Times article by Dennis Overbye titled “No Escape From Black Holes? Stephen Hawking Points to a Possible Exit.“
