Space poems are like celestial journeys captured in verses, inviting us to explore the vast unknown beyond our atmosphere. They whisk us away on cosmic adventures, painting images of distant stars, swirling galaxies, and the infinite expanse.
These poems often ponder the mysteries of the universe, contemplating our place among the constellations and the wonders of interstellar landscapes.
With words as their spacecraft, poets traverse the cosmic sea, delving into the awe-inspiring realms of black holes, supernovas, and alien worlds. Space poems serve as cosmic musings, making the universe feel both intimately familiar and marvelously distant, reminding us of the endless possibilities that lie beyond our earthly confines.
Let There Always Be Light by Rebecca Elson
For this we go out dark nights, searching
For the dimmest stars,
For signs of unseen things:
To weigh us down.
To stop the universe
From rushing on and on
Into its own beyond
Till it exhausts itself and lies down cold,
Its last star going out.
Whatever they turn out to be,
Let there be swarms of them,
Enough for immortality,
Always a star where we can warm ourselves.
Let there be enough to bring it back
From its own edges,
To bring us all so close we ignite
The bright spark of resurrection.
Planetarium by Adrienne Rich
A woman in the shape of a monster
a monster in the shape of a woman
the skies are full of them
a woman ‘in the snow
among the Clocks and instruments
or measuring the ground with poles’
in her 98 years to discover
8 comets
she whom the moon ruled
like us
levitating into the night sky
riding the polished lenses
Galaxies of women, there
doing penance for impetuousness
ribs chilled
in those spaces of the mind
Read the whole poem here.
“Planetarium” is a poem that pays homage to Caroline Herschel, the pioneering astronomer. Rich uses vivid language and astronomical imagery to reflect on the complexities of the universe and the resilience of women in the face of societal constraints.
The Star by Ann Taylor and Jane Taylor
TWINKLE, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are !
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Then the trav’ller in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often thro’ my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.
‘Tis your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the trav’ller in the dark :
Tho’ I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
This classic nursery rhyme captures the wonder of the night sky, portraying a child’s fascination with the stars. Its simple yet profound imagery makes it accessible to readers of all ages, celebrating the timeless allure of the cosmos.
The Universe by May Swenson
What
is it about,
the universe,
the universe about us stretching out?
We within our brains
within it
think
we must unspin
the laws that spin it.
We think why
because we think
because.
Because we think,
we think
the universe,
But does it think,
the universe?
Then what about?
About us?
If not,
must there be cause
in the universe?
Must it have laws?
And what
if the universe
is not about us?
Then what?
What
is it about?
And what
about us?
In “The Universe,” May Swenson uses imaginative language to describe the universe as a vast and interconnected entity. Space poems explore the relationship between the cosmic and the terrestrial, drawing parallels between celestial phenomena and everyday experiences.
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer by Walt Whitman
When I heard the learn’d astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.
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