Category Archives: Awe

By chance, by choice

Crawling close to the ground as
Rocks rolling close to the edge
Is this a perilous path we chose
Or fell upon, willy-nilly, by chance
Or choice? Are we in a position
To make a decision, to correct
Course? Is this a perilous path 
We asked for, that we wanted 
For ourselves, consciously and
In our right mind? I, blah blah, 
Being of sound heart, have set
My journey on this course. We
Are human beings, and being
Human, we walk the earth on 
Two feet. We are always on a
Back foot. Humans evolved to
Walking upright, being human
We only crawl when abjected,
Humiliated, as if we were cast
Off, drawn close to the ground
Is this a perilous path we chose

Dusted

What do you and I have 
In common? Is it all the
Molecules or chemicals
Or DNA, or atoms, or is
It the wide vast universe
That unites us in who we
Are, in our being human.
Humanity is dusted by a
Debris from stars that 
Imploded or exploded. 
We are made of stardust.

There are three star dust poems, all inspired by a conversation between Leah Smart and NASA’s Michelle Thaller. The science that I (mis)quote is real. You/We are all star dust!

Fall sky

There it is. Just enough red in
The evening sky to put me on
Notice for one more glorious
Fall day. Autumns that aren't 
Too chill for a quiet outdoors
Sit. Not too cool for school, so
I can be as dorky as I like when
I walk around marveling at new
Turned leaves, some redder than
This dusk sky, some tricked out
In pumpkin orange. A season I 
Favor over even the spring, that
Season of awakening promise.
The fall has the bite that melted 
In the summer, but no, it's not
Too cool. Not now. Not just yet.

Summer

She walks her summer walk
More a languid strut full of 
Hips and promise. Languid
And languorous, relaxed yet
Sultry. She moves slowly in
The heat, in measured steps.
Her allure is as evident, as 
It is subdued. She is in no 
Hurry to captivate or arouse

Sunset

It was brighter than this 
If not this then what?
What will inspire me if
The blinding ring of the 
Sun fails to bring words
Rushing forth to describe
To capture to encapsulate 
Its fiery splendor? Do I 
Need more reinforcement 
A bigger vocabulary, more
Colorful and spicier then
The one I use every day.
Is awe overwhelmed by the
Sharp but edgy sphere I 
See setting to my west?

Lunatic

That crazy moon
Winking down 
At you at me
Looking to make
Fools out of whole
Cloth of you of me
It's easy to do 
When you have 
That kind of sway
The power of moon
Dust and magic
I see you shaking
Your head me too
But we know it's true
That crazy moon
Can make us crazy too

By way of apology for my [current] impatience, I dedicate this poem to Burt. (In truth, many of the poems here are dedicated to the guy I love.)

this is our life blog

Fool moon

Learn more about moon cycles here.

Moon cycle

Moon is a crescent, or it's 
Full,  round as the globe
Which, of course, is its true
Shape. The moon is a ball
Like the earth. Round and
Round it goes, what you see
Is its shadows as light will
Obscure or reveal, as light
Does. The full moon is our
Curiosity. We revel in tales 
Of its magical powers, its
Influence to madden and
Inflame. A full moon will
Happen every month, and
There's a term we derive 
Of its powerful rotations.
Months hang on a calendar.
The moon cycles through.
Moon hangs out in our sky.
Too disciplined to bring all
That chaos we'll pin on it.

Awe

What is something others do that sparks your admiration?

Your moves are sleek
Your limbs are slim yet
Taut. Precision is a lot 
To demand from one 
Already on her toes. It
Is precious that you can
Maintain the ideal. The
Balance from head to
Toe, from outstretched
Arm through a perfect
Torso. You move as a
Definition of graceful 
Through time, space
Through a universe of
Beats and rhythms, you
Are music personified.