In Between Poem by Leslie Ching

Have you ever wondered
What happens in between?

Between blinks-
For just that tiny millisecond
The world is blacked out,
Obscured,
By a thin layer of eyelid;
What happens
In that millisecond you missed?
The difference
Could be as subtle
As a snail
Inching its way
Up the rough bark of a tree trunk,
Or as drastic
As a jet plane
Smashing into one of the Twin Towers
On September 11, when calamity struck;

Between beats
Of a pumping heart-
For just that tiny millisecond
The heart is still,
Unmoving,
As if lifeless;
What happens
In that millisecond of stillness?

Between the even breaths
Of a heavy sleeper-
For just those few seconds
The sleeper is at rest,
Untroubled,
Separated from the rest of the world;
What happens
In those seconds of peace?

That mere second can make no difference to your day
Or change your life forevermore…
(12/07/08)