NightSky*Stars
This is one of the older poems I wrote a long time ago. It is also one of my favourites.
image from WikiPaintings
NightSky*Stars
What myriad secrets you hold up there
we can only boldly guess.
Your mysteries, time locked
& unwilling yet to share.
What light i saw
could have been born a billion years before
You are ancient legends, retold over glowing fires,
domains of the gods, we are told.
In time, as we grew wiser,
we dared, we probed your dark canvas.
Your depth, i could not fathom
the immense distance you span.
If i could live a million reincarnations,
i guess i could not traverse you from end to end.
Tonight, on such a cold night,
in a miniscule niche on a blue planet,
as i lift my eyes to the vastness above,
the stars, they speak to me in lights of life.
from worlds so distant
from voices so ancient
ashes to earth to life to earth to ashes
trilobites in shale, archaeopteryx in stone
Beatles on wax, memories in silicon brains
man chasing gold chasing dreams chasing fame
now what light i saw
could have been me a billion years before.
*** written DEC 1987 ***
* slightly revised 12/10/2013 *
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Shared on Poetry Pantry #172 at Poets United.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2013
NightSky*Stars
What myriad secrets you hold up there
we can only boldly guess.
Your mysteries, time locked
& unwilling yet to share.
What light i saw
could have been born a billion years before
You are ancient legends, retold over glowing fires,
domains of the gods, we are told.
In time, as we grew wiser,
we dared, we probed your dark canvas.
Your depth, i could not fathom
the immense distance you span.
If i could live a million reincarnations,
i guess i could not traverse you from end to end.
Tonight, on such a cold night,
in a miniscule niche on a blue planet,
as i lift my eyes to the vastness above,
the stars, they speak to me in lights of life.
from worlds so distant
from voices so ancient
ashes to earth to life to earth to ashes
trilobites in shale, archaeopteryx in stone
Beatles on wax, memories in silicon brains
man chasing gold chasing dreams chasing fame
now what light i saw
could have been me a billion years before.
*** written DEC 1987 ***
* slightly revised 12/10/2013 *
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Shared on Poetry Pantry #172 at Poets United.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2013
posted by dsnake1 at 12:01 AM
15 Comments:
nice....love the close on this...that the light could have been you a billion years ago...the large and the small of this too...our speck in the vastness...and the awe of the greatness
Lee San, this is a spectacular poem of moon and mystery. I especially love
You are ancient legends,
retold over glowing fires,
domains of the gods,
and the image of you looking up from "a miniscule niche on a blue planet."
I can see why this is one of your favorites! There is a wonderful feel to this piece--and it makes me feel small and in awe--
this is really a great poem, I can see why it's one of your favourites... i love the thoughts in it and the images. beautiful, also the image at the start.
well written, vast... i especially like the cyclicity implicit in the penultimate stanza & then the near repetition (with one important, insightful difference) of the second stanza in the last:
what light i saw
could have been me a billion years before.
looking at the stars i see myself...
Marvelous! To stand beneath the stars and think of all who did the same before us, what stories could be told.
You took me back into a forgotten place.....
Such a pleasure to read this! And glad to be back!!
balance it out
Brian,
my favourite lines too. :)
Sherry,
i like "spectacular"!
i wrote this at a time when i was thinking about the cosmos. looks like i still haven't got the answers. :)
Audrey,
yes, we do feel small. :)
Natasa,
thank you!
rudyan,
thank you! the furthest stars are in billion of light years away.
Lisa,
yes, i do agree with your comment. :)
Hi gautami!
so good to hear from you!
I really enjoyed reading this. I to have always been fascinated by the nature of the eternal. I don't think I have a favorite line. I just liked the overall effect.
hey Stormcat, glad to see you again! thanks for your comment. :)
trilobites...Whoa, that's old! Hang on I'm lookin' up another one; archaeopteryx...Whoa, I can't "fly" any further than that. :-) I got the wax and sillicone :-0
A well written piece. Cool "being"
ZQ
hehheh! we're old. but you need not keep reminding it... :P
Fascinating mystery
thank you! great to hear from you, my friend. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home