solar-system

Our Galactic Address: A Poem

Galactic Address

What are we doing here on this moving globe
Earth insects swimming in the Orion Way
far from the centre of the Galaxy
clinging to the cavity
of the Local Bubble
in this solar system called the Milky Way?

An insignificant metal ball,
trapped in motion,
endlessly, drawing
circles concentrically
around the fiery sphere,
mirrored in this movement
by sibling planets all
disciples of the father star?

As I look up into the night sky
from here, my galactic address,
the other planets are invisible
to the naked eye within the softly
gleaming ribbon arching there.
Better here, methinks, from where
I stand at the inner edge of this spiral
shaped confluence of gas and dust,
than in the Galactic Centre—
thought to be a large Black Hole!

© Anne Skyvington

Photo Credit: NASA found on Wikihow


Comments

2 responses to “Our Galactic Address: A Poem”

  1. Ian Wells Avatar
    Ian Wells

    You have skill and show a certain flair inthe writing of poetry as is evidenced in this post. I like the subject and appreciate the grand scope of the topic. You need to be quite economical with words and precise in descriptions in this genre, something you have clearly demonstrated with this composition. Thanks for the experience.

    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Ian. As I like to ask questions related to the mysteries of existence, poetry is more amenable to the task, especially in this case. Astronomers tend to focus on the “what”, whereas I think I’m looking more at the “why” in this poem.

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