Everything has a balance,
A limit.
A rule to abide, or an exception to demonstrate
A carbon atom must only have a specific number of protons
A strand of DNA writes novels of identity out of our control
A swipe of scarlet nail lacquer applied without a proper top coat will flake away in a matter of days
But lying in the soft folds of your bed, hearing soothing fantasies
Of magic and souls, of love and physics
Of time and nebulae
You gain an inkling of
The necessary ingredients for breaking the rules
Why those in conjunction with their other halves always seem to have more power
Why you see so many lost pairs of eyes with holes in the sides of their sneakers from wandering too long on the battered playground
Why an unlikely isotope is the definition of true love
And the government prioritizes maintaining an even population
Does this explain why your eight-year-old body hums with undeniable emptiness?
Is there someone out there waiting to turn the universe on its side for you?