“What I hope for,” Limón said, “is a sort of soothing. I don’t mean just for humans, but for animals, plants and every living creature.”
— Elisabeth Egan, from “A Poem Hitches a Ride on a Rocket, to Infinity and Beyond.” NASA and the U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón may not be obvious collaborators, but a Jupiter-bound mission helped them find common ground. (NY Times, October 25, 2024)
Notes:
- Photograph: Europa Clipper Lifts Off From Kennedy Space Center. NASA/Kim Shiflett
- Listen to Ada Limón read her poem here.
- In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa by Ada Limón:
Arching under the night sky inky
with black expansiveness, we point
to the planets we know, we
pin quick wishes on stars. From earth,
we read the sky as if it is an unerring book
of the universe, expert and evident.
Still, there are mysteries below our sky:
the whale song, the songbird singing
its call in the bough of a wind-shaken tree.
We are creatures of constant awe,
curious at beauty, at leaf and blossom,
at grief and pleasure, sun and shadow.
And it is not darkness that unites us,
not the cold distance of space, but
the offering of water, each drop of rain,
each rivulet, each pulse, each vein.
O second moon, we, too, are made
of water, of vast and beckoning seas.
We, too, are made of wonders, of great
and ordinary loves, of small invisible worlds,
of a need to call out through the dark.
I love this poem – full stop
Me too!
Awesome! That’s really appreciated Sir, Good Work keep it up.
… not crying
“But we’re also on the most incredible planet, and it is full of life.” 🩷
Smiling. Love how you say and do that.
wistful and full of hope
Yes.
Amen to that!
Yes!
I like these work and job👍
Thank you!
I heard this yesterday and it hit my soul with the same fervor it did just now. It was this line for me….
“We, too, are made of wonders, of great
and ordinary loves, of small invisible worlds,
of a need to call out through the dark” ☺️
Also love that line!
Mine favorite line too.
That makes four of us 😊
🙂
“a need to call out through the dark.” (Hence, ‘bloggers!) Even more seriously, what blind but hopeful trust there is in any living being calling out through the dark.
Yes!!!
I remember that, even as a child, I used to wonder what is “out there” and “how far does it go?” But now in my much older age, I still don’t know so much about my own planet. The wonder and learning never cease as long as we live. Lovely poem.
Beautifully stated Anneli. Yes!
Beautiful poem. Leaves me feeling emotional in both positive and negative ways… impossible to describe clearly… I guess the word is: “moved”.
Another word that nails it thanks to Beth: “wistful”. Thank you, Beth!
Yes!
So agree with that sentiment Paul!