Moments are usually defined with respect
To a fixed reference point.
I WAS IN THE KITCHEN.
They deal with physical quantities as measured
At some distance from that reference point.
MY WIFE OF 30 YEARS WAS EMPTYING THE SHOPPING BAGS.
I WAS IN THE DOORWAY OF THE UTILITY ROOM.
HER BIRDWATCHING BINOCULARS
WERE HANGING ON A COAT HOOK.
For example, the moment of force acting on an object,
Often called torque
I COULDN’T SPEAK WITHOUT CRYING.
‘There are moments’
SUDDENLY REALISING HOW MUCH I LOVED HER.
‘Tenderness like a broken
winged bird’
Is the product of the force and the distance
‘Wakes me from the dream
Of the day,
Gladness like a stifled sob
Shakes me from sorrow.’
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.
‘Shopping bags
Specks of dust in sunlight.’
To the object (i.e., the reference point)
SO I JUST KISSED HER.
In principle, any physical quantity
Can be multiplied by distance
A kiss
Narrating itself
Too sudden
To produce a moment.
For words.
Stuart has read poetry for years, and now writes. He is fascinated by the way that modern science emerged from other ways of thinking. “The Science of Love” uses a definition of a moment from http://www.educationjournal.org and from Wikipedia.