Little Bang Theory

Speed Limit. March 12, 2010

In a car, it’s a really good idea;

On a beam of light, it’s immutable:

186, 282.39705 miles per second.

That would get you a long way in a short while,

Except that you can’t do it.

Bill Gates can’t do it;

Superman either,

Because at 99.9% of that speed,

Your mass has been multiplied by a factor of seven

Without even changing the size of your pants.

And at 99.9999999% of that speed,

Seven decimal places if you’re counting,

Your mass has increased 360,000-fold,

Time has slowed to a crawl,

And space is constricting around you

Like a  starving anaconda.

And if you have the audacity to summon

The collective energies of a billion stars

And push on, faster, faster,

Things will get a bit strange;

Your mass will grow toward infinity as space loses all meaning, and

Time will cease to exist as you consume all the energy that is, and

You will be everywhere at once,

And nowhere at once,

Immeasureable,

Invisible,

Asymptotic

To God.

Let There Be Light!