The radio telescope trundles on rails
in a landscape of dairy cows and ponds,
tuning into the dispersing cosmos.
The universe is replete with sound. We
fill it with meaning and impedimenta.
Star sailors embark on metaphor
and intricate engines. We record
the energy of suns dead longer than
dinosaurs. We listen to stars yet
tolerate hunger – and we stare still
into the black wonder of starry nights.
Like addicts, we exploit experience.
The ether is redolent with humankind,
our majestic jabber.
Acknowledgement: This poem was first published in ‘Still Life’, a poetry anthology published by University of Chester Press – http://www.chester.ac.uk/search/node/still%20life
By David Selzer