The Friday Poem: August Sky

Following is commentary about today's poem by Patch Poetry maestro Jeff Burkhart.

How many times have we looked into the heavens and let our minds wander? We might see two seemingly neighboring stars and realize that the larger of the two could be one thousand times times smaller than the other and ten thousand times closer to our tiny planet. The vastness of space/time can cause heads to spin. Mary Susan Gast reminds of of the ageless human propensity to gaze into the heavens, trying to understand the scientific and spiritual meaning of our celestial observations. Her poem, "August Sky" beckons us to our backyards at night to join in the fun. Remember, regardless of what happens to our planet, caused by the hand of man from Earth or the hand of God from space, the universe will be fine. 

August Sky by Mary Susan Gast

Late August is big time. 
Meteors streak the heavens,
Illuminating
Our own space travel,
Through the cosmos.

Crickets string iridescent beads of song in the stillness.
Marvelous Cygnus stretches overhead,
Soaring,
Amid the wistful delicacy of pastel nebulae.
Bright Vega,
Modestly hugging the horizon just weeks ago,
Now strides
To the pinnacle
Of the firmament.

Timeless night,
In a world that rotates much too rapidly,
Hurtling years and seasons past us recklessly,
Your jeweled darkness
Extends
Respite, reprieve.
Your celestial silent beauty
Orchestrates
A momentary harmony
Within
Our cluttered human lives. 

Peering over the edge of the Milky Way,
We cannot bother
To be troubled
By our tiny-ness.
Instead we grow in boldness,
To dwell secure
Among the stars.

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