Probability (Abridged)

By the balance of probabilities, this poem should not exist.
The coincidences that have made this universe
Form a near-endless list.

A change to a fundamental force,
A slight tweak to a quantum field,
Just the slightest difference to the way
In which the fabric of space congealed

And everything we know, everything we see,
Is suddenly incompatible with physics
And simply ceases to be.

But even if the atoms are disinclined to fly apart,
The odds seem tinier still, for life to make a start.

From there, the jump to Humans doesn’t really seem too hard.
But developed, artistic civilisation? That’s more difficult to disregard.

When surveying the world we live in,
One can easily grow a little glum.
So for some perspective, try considering the happy accident
From which all of this has come.