The Gum That Time Forgot

As I was strolling down the sidewalk

On this pleasant summer day,
I was the victim of a thoughtless act
Much to my own dismay.
I felt a gooey, sticky squish

Under the sole of my new shoe.
It was a chewed up glob of bubble gum

That I had stepped into.

And though I'd like to have a few words

With the one who chewed and spit it,
Logically, I know I must move on
'Cause I shall soon forget it.
You see, it's times like these that one must pause,
And learn to be reflective.
An incident like this should really be

Put in proper perspective.

Yes, I'm sitting here, picking at
This gum that isn't mine.
But I know man is insignificant
When viewed through the lens of time.
All of mankind and all we ever did
Will be forgot one day.
Our legacy, our history,

Broken down and washed away.

And now I'd like to take a moment

To expand your world view.
For planet Earth is just a morsel

Floating in a cosmic stew.
Our solar system's swallowed up
By an enormous galaxy.
Yes, our whole world is but a tiny speck
Lost in an endless sea.

We are adrift in time, adrift in space,
Our lives so meaningless.
And when you understand that fact

It just seems so ridiculous
To give a second thought,

About a wad of gum stuck on a sole.
It is a pointless exercise

That fails to appreciate the whole.

But though I know how unimportant
This tiny moment will become,
I admit it's not much consolation

As I sit here scraping gum.