We who with songs beguile your pilgrimage / And swear that Beauty lives though lilies die, / We Poets of the proud old lineage / Who sing to find your hearts, we know not why ... (James Elroy Flecker)

12.9.19

Seeing Stars




    Seeing Stars

    There is so much light on the ground
    and so bright, few stars can be found
    when we gaze up at night,
    and those few are dim and blurry.
    But we are in such a hurry,
    we seldom lift our sight.

    We scurry about, looking down,
    surrounded by city or town –
    yet out in the real dark
    beyond the artificial lights,
    in the true, atavistic nights,
    a star is no mere spark.

    In the vast arc of that black sky,
    so infinitely far and high,
    every star is ablaze:
    intensely clear, shockingly bright.
    Then we know the meaning of light –
    and of awe, giving praise.



    A poem in response to the Midweek Motif ~ Looking at Stars at Poets United. In this piece I am also practising the Rime Couée – a French form shared at Robert Lee Brewer's 'Poetic Asides' recently – which has:
    • Six-line stanzas.
    • Eight syllables in lines one, two, four, and five.
    • Six syllables in the third and sixth lines.
    • Rhyme scheme of AABCCB

    13 comments:

    1. This reminds me of my aunt's advice to me upon my HS graduation: don't forget to stop to smell the roses from time to time. Lovely sentiment within this poem.

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    2. "in the true, atavistic nights"
      "Then we know the meaning of light "
      Awesome!

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    3. Stars are always so nursery rhyme-y to us. We often forget that a twinkle is originally a 'blaze'. Even the humans with star qualities are always ablaze. We the commoners twinkle. Such a beautiful and a thought provoking poem!

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    4. The sky as it should be praised and admired. Wonderful poem!

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    5. great stuff. Topic lends itself well to the form, with which I am unfamiliar. I've made note & might give it a try. Thanks!

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    6. Lovely, lovely poem. Each blazing star deserves our awe.
      You complied with this form so beautifully.

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    7. OOoooo...this form looks great. Must give it a shot. In the country it is so dark at night,even getting out of bed you can lose your bearings easily. It has just occurred to me that anyone who has not been in the wilderness would never have experienced that and of course the night skies are truly magical. Light pollution has become a big problem to astrophysicists. They come from all over the world to Coonabarrabran to view the skies. Evdiently theare are only a few places left where you can do this successfully.Liked your poem(obviously:)

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      Replies
      1. The best view I ever had was from a trailer-sailor crossing King George Sound. No facilities for astro-physicists, however.

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    8. "In the true, atavistic night....." That is where stars shine the brightest, as we scurry about, forgetting to be amazed. Once , on a small island where the only light was from a campfire, I was astonished at the panoply of stars.

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    9. You’re right, we don’t have to be an astronomy experts to see the wonders of the sky. Beautiful and gorgeous images we see here, Rosemary. Lovely!

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    10. Out in the real dark is where you can really see! Seems a shame that light pollution drowns the beauty of the stars. When you get to see them... and how many. It's Awe-some.

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    11. I love the way this form brings out the beauty of stars.

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    12. I lament the lack of darkness at night, even in remote areas. Yet those who look carefully can always see a star...or two...or three. It's worth the effort.

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