ZONED OUT

          The Universe itself is animate,         
          Inspiring matter toward vitality,
          Providing everything that’s requisite 
          For conscious beings like us to come to be.
 
          And since that’s happened here on planet Earth,
          The odds are overwhelming that elsewhere
          Another planet, too, has given birth
          To creatures whose intelligence we share—

          Not in our solar system, but afar,
          Perhaps beyond communication’s reach, 
          A planet circling another star
          Whose barrier of space we’ll never breach.

               Still, science intimates we’re not alone,
               Though what we seek lies in a twilight zone.

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