This is a remarkable poem, Saoirse. It is beautifully woven together, and your blend of words, images and cadence draws me in and leads me to keep reading. I appreciate your use of instrument, stories, culture and nature in a coherent mosaic I love the ending:
"Regardless of color, drumbeat, creation story —
our bodies themselves,
the skin in which we live and breath and move,
are sculpted from the same clay.
the invisible starlight
of my morning
reminds me
i am made of stars
reminds me to
shine on"
This ia poem into and unto itself. This is an exceptional work of art. Thank you for sharing!
Larry, what a wonderful reflection on my poem. I love your comment that it is like a coherent mosaic. And that you've pointed out that the ending can be a poem in itself. Thank you for your close attention to what I've written.
Wow, this is gorgeous, Saoirse. I'm so glad to see your truly stunning poetry here again in this space - I'm reminded of why it makes my heart leap.
I REALLY love the way you spin the starlight origins of humans throughout the poem and end in the last sentence: "the invisible starlight of my morning reminds me i am made of stars, reminds me to shine on." And the way you tie this into your beginning haiku, which anchors the whole thing (after seeing you do this several days, you've inspired me to try the same and I really am so happy with it! Thank you :D).
Wow yourself, Jillian! I love that you've adopted your own practice of haiku followed by a more expansive journey with the poem/story. I've been pleased with how it works, in some elusive, magical way. My writing mentor tells me this kind of poetry is not "planned," but emerges. That feels true for me. I think about it in order to find the place where I will start, and I "play" with structure and format. Mostly, I make it up as I go along. Your enthusiasm for my poetry warms my heart. Thank you so much for your 'joy'ous words. :)
This is so incredibly good, Deborah. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I love how ecstatic and bright and joyful the dance of all your astrological allies here becomes in your words. I also like the lines that Saoirse specified very much :)
I'm truly moved by this poem. I just subscribed to your Substack and am really looking forward to reading more of your wonderful writing! :)
What a beauitful poem, Trish. I love your ending and the issue it ponders. You have been a light for me in this liminal space this month, and I know you will keep shining.
Trish, you are such a thoughtful, loving, humble observer to this glorious starlight, and I REALLY admire and appreciate that <3 You are very much a light! :) Thank you.
I had the same thought this morning as I walked my labyrinth, pondering the word of the day. That my far-distant ancestors are made of the same stardust from whence I came and that my far-distant descendants will be from that same material. We are, indeed, woven into the fabric of life for time eternal.
That you chose the word "relief" instead of something else - it makes me wonder about so many things. But also, it's glorious to consider relief in the knowledge of time and life eternal <3
What a beautiful and insghtful poem! I love the notion and possibility that our light will continue to shine years into the future, lighting the lives and worlds of lthers. What a beautiful concept. Your poems always make me pause, ponder, reflect and be in awe! Thank you so much, A.
Do we truly lose beauty in absolution when we lose innocence? Perhaps harder, sometimes, to see the light, especially in certain others, but I don't believe we've ever lost our capacity with time :) Perhaps more willingness?
It the beckoning passion play our own to surrender to, navigate past, or even shy away from?
I have felt the call to peace since I was boy. It has evolved as I joined the Navy (win and we will have peace - how naive) then to seminary (peace with justice) then on ministry (reconciliation) and now taking upu cross and offering my brokenness as the way to be reconciled with Jesus, the Christ, and being vulnerable and forgiving to be reconciled with humanity.
Steven, the peace and justice work you have been and are doing is so important and makes a difference. Thank you for a life devoted to service and witness to a new day and way. God bless you.
Thank you. It all goes back to Pentecost and a church fire when I was a young boy, an experience I still don't fully understand, and a lot of childhood trauma and extraordinary life experiences. The Holy Spirit has been nudging me and moving me in other ways getting moving forward opening me to being transformed.
Blessed Pentecost to you, Steven. Our trauma and transforming events shape us so deeply, and leave their marks. I am grateful you are open and still openng to the work of the Spirit. Peace be with you.
The more I look around the more I see the violence and struggle to see the peace and even more the justice. But there are seeds of peace with justice, we just have to go out and tend them and not the violence.
That is a journey to make, Saoirse, to find our place, our star. From what I read in here and can glimpse of your spirit, it will sit in a place of right relationship and peace!
You perfectly position the support of the starlight in in your prayers and navigations. Tender and beautiful as ever, Larry, I am so grateful to read more and more of your wisdom each day :)
Thank you so much for this space, Kaitlin. Seeing and honoring you for your own experiences this month. It's been one of the greatest adventures of my life :)
And another expansion for me: today's poem represents only the second sonnet I've ever tried to write in my life! :D
.
Starlight
.
The starlight in my window brightly gleams,
A light so bright my eyes don’t find it real,
But to my eager heart it does appeal,
This brightest light illuminating dreams.
Why do I dare to wish upon that star?
What brings me now to follow my own heart?
I think I know that glimmer will impart
A world of gold I see now only far.
I pray starlight will fall upon the dark,
That magic of the rainbows gets its turn,
That truth will lead us all right through the night.
I won't forget that as I imagine my own dreams illuminated by "this brightest light." My bedroom window is perfectly sited for me to see the stars (and the moon) as I fall asleep. What a delicious offering!!
An "eager heart" is hopeful and expectant. "Why do I dare to wish upon that star" is hopeful with a bit of chutzpah, I sense. Quite an earnest and hopeful poem, Jillian. Thank you as always for your words and inspiration.
Great work and bravo for writing this sonnet. it is full of deep yearning, questioning, compassion and committment to stand and witness for a brighter sky. Thank you!
I like this Julie, and the way you use questions to draw us in and get us thinking. I like the beginning as well, a nice use of the familiar wishing rhyme. and what a wonderful way to end, another question but also a statement of promise and possibility. Very nicely done!
starlight staurolite seastar sister plaiedes 7!sisters of sky n more subaru magic .. serena siren you in plaiedes gate waiting watching us sister siren serena my guiding stars shooting stars slow down how shone n not burn out n carry lessons in stories in sky dew drop pieces in ur dreams who what drops visions of future
dark holding light
wo dark wat holds light
stars please be patient w us as learn listen n sing w u at veil
a plea to the stars for patience. lovely. love also the reference to dew drops. that brought me a new image of starlight. dew drops in the sky. thank you.
Pollution has corroded,
Our view of the night sky.
Too many street lights,
Make the stars seem dim.
Yet, there they are,
Shining brightly.
Hope is always there,
Even when we can’t see it
Oh I so feel this. I long for the dark black of night. Where I live it feels like light pollution.
"Yet, there they are" :) "Hope is always there, even when we can't see it."
Yes! Say it again and again. This is very beautiful, Liz <3
Love that!
Day 29: Starlight
a poem a day in the month of may
(The Liminality Journal: Kaitlin Curtice)
Blue skies of morning
blot the starlight from my view;
still, the stars shine on.
***
From dust you have come,
And to dust you shall return.
~ Genesis 3:19
We are made of stardust,
every part of our body
formed in stars
over billions of years
and multiple star
lifetimes.
We come from dust
and to dust we shall return.
All my ancestors,
near and far,
came from the same dust.
Our skin tones are different;
sepia, olive, charcoal, lily white
The beat of the drum
to which we dance is different;
bodran, sammi, buffalo hide, goat skin
Our origin stories are different;
cave, sun, breath, moon
Regardless of color, drumbeat, creation story —
our bodies themselves,
the skin in which we live and breath and move,
are sculpted from the same clay.
the invisible starlight
of my morning
reminds me
i am made of stars
reminds me to
shine on
This is a remarkable poem, Saoirse. It is beautifully woven together, and your blend of words, images and cadence draws me in and leads me to keep reading. I appreciate your use of instrument, stories, culture and nature in a coherent mosaic I love the ending:
"Regardless of color, drumbeat, creation story —
our bodies themselves,
the skin in which we live and breath and move,
are sculpted from the same clay.
the invisible starlight
of my morning
reminds me
i am made of stars
reminds me to
shine on"
This ia poem into and unto itself. This is an exceptional work of art. Thank you for sharing!
Larry, what a wonderful reflection on my poem. I love your comment that it is like a coherent mosaic. And that you've pointed out that the ending can be a poem in itself. Thank you for your close attention to what I've written.
You are welcome! It was my distinct pleasure to read this today!
Wow, this is gorgeous, Saoirse. I'm so glad to see your truly stunning poetry here again in this space - I'm reminded of why it makes my heart leap.
I REALLY love the way you spin the starlight origins of humans throughout the poem and end in the last sentence: "the invisible starlight of my morning reminds me i am made of stars, reminds me to shine on." And the way you tie this into your beginning haiku, which anchors the whole thing (after seeing you do this several days, you've inspired me to try the same and I really am so happy with it! Thank you :D).
Magnificent! Thank you :)
Wow yourself, Jillian! I love that you've adopted your own practice of haiku followed by a more expansive journey with the poem/story. I've been pleased with how it works, in some elusive, magical way. My writing mentor tells me this kind of poetry is not "planned," but emerges. That feels true for me. I think about it in order to find the place where I will start, and I "play" with structure and format. Mostly, I make it up as I go along. Your enthusiasm for my poetry warms my heart. Thank you so much for your 'joy'ous words. :)
This is so beautiful, Saoirse. I love the imagery you've created.
Thank you so much.
Here's a poem I wrote starstruck one night crossing the sea:
Night Crossing, Sea of Cortez
The sea appears so simple
With a dark, indulgent face,
The stars there twice reflected
Like a world spun out of space.
Our sloop shoots through the cosmos,
Through a mute and moonless night,
Our wake a fiery comet
Streaming effervescent light.
With all the universe inert
We slip from star to star,
Then reach across the Milky Way
Toward galaxies afar.
Eons swirl, light-years unfurl
And none can still our flight,
Leaping toward the infinite to
Apprehend the light.
This, especially:
Our sloop shoots through the cosmos,
Through a mute and moonless night,
Our wake a fiery comet
Streaming effervescent light.
The visual carries me from the deep dark to the flowing light. Magical!
Warms my heart. Thank you.
This is wonderful Deborah! I like the journey your poem takes me on, across the sea so vividly and excitedly. Thank you!
Thank you, Larry. It was a magical crossing. I wrote the first draft by flashlight while on night watch.
What an incredible adventure it sounds like! I had visions of Sinbad as I read your poem and now these comments :)
This is so incredibly good, Deborah. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I love how ecstatic and bright and joyful the dance of all your astrological allies here becomes in your words. I also like the lines that Saoirse specified very much :)
I'm truly moved by this poem. I just subscribed to your Substack and am really looking forward to reading more of your wonderful writing! :)
Thank you Jillian, that means so much to me.
Starlight
Out here in
the countryside,
the night sky
seems to explode
with stars
upon stars
everywhere I look.
As I ponder
the time between
when those stars
broke out
their luminescence
and when I
stand underneath
the sky to
watch them shimmer
and shine,
I am amazed.
Did they know
when they sent
forth their light
throughout time
that I would be
standing here
gladly receiving
their glory
this very night?
Did they have
any idea that
just being themselves
and doing their thing
could literally
ripple
throughout time,
long past their lives,
to touch me,
a tiny speck
on a hillside
in the universe?
I bow in thanks
for their
magnificent offering,
and hope that
my life might
also be a light
for the generations
to come.
it's wonderful to see how many of us are pondering the continuity of it all. what has been, what is now, what will be.
I love this so much too :)
Definitely similar wavelengths! I love this, Trish.
What a beauitful poem, Trish. I love your ending and the issue it ponders. You have been a light for me in this liminal space this month, and I know you will keep shining.
Trish, you are such a thoughtful, loving, humble observer to this glorious starlight, and I REALLY admire and appreciate that <3 You are very much a light! :) Thank you.
The starlight we see
is billions of years old,
travelling in space
to reach us long after
many of those stars
have blinked
out of existence.
.
It's a relief, isn't it?
To think that,
somehow,
billions of years
from now,
a bit of our light
might reach someone,
might compel them
to lift their face
and gaze up in wonder,
seeing themselves
reflected in us.
.
After all,
we are
made of
stardust.
Nice.
We are golden.
I had the same thought this morning as I walked my labyrinth, pondering the word of the day. That my far-distant ancestors are made of the same stardust from whence I came and that my far-distant descendants will be from that same material. We are, indeed, woven into the fabric of life for time eternal.
A., I just read your poem after posting mine and smiled. I think we were on similar wavelengths today!!
I love this wavelength so much :)
That you chose the word "relief" instead of something else - it makes me wonder about so many things. But also, it's glorious to consider relief in the knowledge of time and life eternal <3
Thanks, A.
What a beautiful and insghtful poem! I love the notion and possibility that our light will continue to shine years into the future, lighting the lives and worlds of lthers. What a beautiful concept. Your poems always make me pause, ponder, reflect and be in awe! Thank you so much, A.
Yes! Second this :)
Starlight, stars so bright
Sky alight, Sagan was right
billions and billions and billions of stars
pouring illumined light here from so far
never not ever has such glow been seen
as from that dark park, that obsidian scene
Pistolet Bay was the place we reclined
our jaws hung agape as the radiance shined
i'm not really sure but perhaps this deep blast
was present and future co-tingled with past
I go there in mem'ry, eyes shut to see clear
the night that pure starlight enveloped our sphere
Sagan and his big blue marble
Wow, so good, Bob! I love everything about this :)
starlight, starflight,
don’t clench your hand too tight,
to dare we may, against all fright,
keep up the faith against the night
⭐️
a playful offering ... thank you. I know, the night is frightful. still, we can only live this moment. :)
I love this so much! Very very playful - raw and bright at once. Thank you :)
Thisnis so much fun and so creative and clever. You have aknack for bringing out the joy in every word!
Well said :)
When I was a kid,
It came easy
to see starlight
as god's bright warm heaven
smiling at me
thru some pinholes punched in the dark.
Seeing pinholes in grownups
comes harder.
indeed. still there, though. no longer easy to see.
Or maybe we just quit looking?
You're on to something there :)
The truth of growing up or of growing older?
Of losing my innocence, I guess. thanks.
Do we truly lose beauty in absolution when we lose innocence? Perhaps harder, sometimes, to see the light, especially in certain others, but I don't believe we've ever lost our capacity with time :) Perhaps more willingness?
I think we lose our "give a shit".
Oof, yes.
This is really beautiful and vulnerable, Chuck. I appreciate it very very much. Thank you :)
Here at home again after traveling for the past two weeks. It is nice dance with the word this morning.
Starlight
Summer comes again to this northern coast.
Welcome back, old friend, it has been too long.
Tomorrow we remember the ones who died,
with no better sense of why than when the battles first came,
and bow to a pledge to have war no more.
Tonight, I sit under starlight sky,
half-moon playfully smiling its banana pose,
owls’ conversation a blend of wisdom and wariness,
coyotes howling to greet the whole night sky.
What will I bring to this beckoning passion play?
It is good to be home again,
after traveling under the starlight
of a different geospatial glow.
In this small corner of a fractured globe,
I pray for true peace in our lives.
It the beckoning passion play our own to surrender to, navigate past, or even shy away from?
I have felt the call to peace since I was boy. It has evolved as I joined the Navy (win and we will have peace - how naive) then to seminary (peace with justice) then on ministry (reconciliation) and now taking upu cross and offering my brokenness as the way to be reconciled with Jesus, the Christ, and being vulnerable and forgiving to be reconciled with humanity.
Steven, the peace and justice work you have been and are doing is so important and makes a difference. Thank you for a life devoted to service and witness to a new day and way. God bless you.
Thank you. It all goes back to Pentecost and a church fire when I was a young boy, an experience I still don't fully understand, and a lot of childhood trauma and extraordinary life experiences. The Holy Spirit has been nudging me and moving me in other ways getting moving forward opening me to being transformed.
Nudge nudge
wink wink
Blessed Pentecost to you, Steven. Our trauma and transforming events shape us so deeply, and leave their marks. I am grateful you are open and still openng to the work of the Spirit. Peace be with you.
And also with you, Larry
Still trying to get a handle on peace with justice, can't seem to snip away the word violence from it.
The more I look around the more I see the violence and struggle to see the peace and even more the justice. But there are seeds of peace with justice, we just have to go out and tend them and not the violence.
what a question: What will I bring to this beckoning passion play?
your prayer, at the end.
a question for all of us, in the end.
it has me wondering where my star might sit in this beckoning sky.
That is a journey to make, Saoirse, to find our place, our star. From what I read in here and can glimpse of your spirit, it will sit in a place of right relationship and peace!
You perfectly position the support of the starlight in in your prayers and navigations. Tender and beautiful as ever, Larry, I am so grateful to read more and more of your wisdom each day :)
starlight
looking out
at the millions of stars
it is as if
I am Galileo
the first to observe
this awesome expanse
or Einstein
contemplating relativity
or even George Lucas
imagining a
galaxy far far away
and while science was
discovering more and more
the theologians were
looking "heavenward"
to see God
in the mystery
slowly declaring
the "God of the gaps"
as science and theology
seem to part ways
for those with
either/or thinking
but this night sky
reveals so much more
than scientists and theologians
can even comprehend
or filmmakers
can even imagine
all of this vast
collection of stars
sending starlight
throughout the
milky way
and a plethora
of galaxies in
the known universe
held together by
dark matter
and most assuredly more
and for me that is
enough to keep me safe
enough to expand me thinking
enough to add more
questions to ponder
and subjects to learn
as my prayers
remain between me
and the vastly expanding universe
with a creator somewhere
out there distantly
yet like the starlight
making its way
to here intimately
WOW. I just have to leave it at that. This is EPIC, Steven :)
And the last lines:
"the vastly expanding universe
with a creator somewhere
out there distantly
yet like the starlight
making its way
to here intimately" OH YES :)
The final frontier
Seek out the stars
where stark darkness is a portal
to the starlight realm
In crystal clear tundras and African savanna,
Northern lights on muggy nights, chasing fireflies and stellar skies,
the luster of nighttime
in the cool southwestern desert
Let us find our essence in their splendor
Drink in the stars
the eddies that pool
and swirl in constellations
Let us awe at their vastness
too great to swallow
Feel the familiar of the stars
they seeded our existence
incubated our elements
Let their ancestral wisdom guide us
Never have the stars been more delicious and drinkable to me as they are here in your poem, Sarah. So great, thank you :)
Thank you so much for this space, Kaitlin. Seeing and honoring you for your own experiences this month. It's been one of the greatest adventures of my life :)
And another expansion for me: today's poem represents only the second sonnet I've ever tried to write in my life! :D
.
Starlight
.
The starlight in my window brightly gleams,
A light so bright my eyes don’t find it real,
But to my eager heart it does appeal,
This brightest light illuminating dreams.
Why do I dare to wish upon that star?
What brings me now to follow my own heart?
I think I know that glimmer will impart
A world of gold I see now only far.
I pray starlight will fall upon the dark,
That magic of the rainbows gets its turn,
That truth will lead us all right through the night.
With all my wishes stored, I can embark
Upon my quest and do my part to earn
The murmur of this precious sweet starlight.
This:
This brightest light illuminating dreams.
I won't forget that as I imagine my own dreams illuminated by "this brightest light." My bedroom window is perfectly sited for me to see the stars (and the moon) as I fall asleep. What a delicious offering!!
An "eager heart" is hopeful and expectant. "Why do I dare to wish upon that star" is hopeful with a bit of chutzpah, I sense. Quite an earnest and hopeful poem, Jillian. Thank you as always for your words and inspiration.
Great work and bravo for writing this sonnet. it is full of deep yearning, questioning, compassion and committment to stand and witness for a brighter sky. Thank you!
Starlight, star bright…
How many wishes have been made
on these twinkling pinholes in the sky?
Deep longings reaching towards
sparkling gems, laying
on a blackened field
Hidden dreams from aching hearts
to iridescent ornaments
hanging delicately by a thread
Are aspirations left to
wander light years?
Or do they come home
answered in unimaginable ways?
Pinholes, yup, twinkling pinholes
I like this Julie, and the way you use questions to draw us in and get us thinking. I like the beginning as well, a nice use of the familiar wishing rhyme. and what a wonderful way to end, another question but also a statement of promise and possibility. Very nicely done!
Thanks Larry, I appreciate your feedback it touched me deeply.
Starlight
Sparks of light
Hope in the darkest night
Sparks of wonder
Presence of a powerful creator
Sparks of joy
Connection across the miles
love the "sparks" ... and the connection. I felt this in my body.
From the lake's edge, near city lights
there is a smattering of starlight above us,
enough to keep us attuned to the sky.
We see the Dipper and Orion in their season
The Perseids in late summer
We stand anchored on the shoulders of Mother Earth as our
eyes widen to the stars, absorbing light into ourselves, our souls.
We barely notice the waves on the shoreline during this holy moment.
This is life.
Thank you!
starlight staurolite seastar sister plaiedes 7!sisters of sky n more subaru magic .. serena siren you in plaiedes gate waiting watching us sister siren serena my guiding stars shooting stars slow down how shone n not burn out n carry lessons in stories in sky dew drop pieces in ur dreams who what drops visions of future
dark holding light
wo dark wat holds light
stars please be patient w us as learn listen n sing w u at veil
a plea to the stars for patience. lovely. love also the reference to dew drops. that brought me a new image of starlight. dew drops in the sky. thank you.