he has long blonde eyelashes

and the beginning of a bald spot

on top of his head.

he blinks. he stares ahead 

as the professor goes on 

and on about relative

distance,

powers of ten,

kilometers upon more

kilometers 

of voids 

and matter.

he blinks. he stares

ahead as he hears

he is a mere speck

within a city within

a state within a

country within a 

continent within

a planet within a

solar system within

a galaxy within a

local group within

a local supercluster

within the universe.

he blinks. he stares

ahead. he does gawk,

he does not weep, he

does not even think of

that word, meaninglessness.

he blinks. he stares ahead.

he bats those

blonde eyelashes

one time, two times,

three.