“Why Should We in Some Forgotten Corner” by Emma Faye Jewell

Emma Faye Jewell (age 13)

WHY SHOULD WE IN SOME FORGOTTEN CORNER

erasure from “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan
we are
                  halfway to the 
galaxy
                                                                                           within 
          are                    worlds and
things                              beings                    civilizations
 
                    seashells                    corals   
Nature laboring for aeons
                    some hundred billion        galaxies  each with
                    a hundred billion stars
          In the face of
                                                      the Sun
                              Why should we                                        in some
forgotten corner
                                                            brimming over with life
                    do not yet know                              beginning our explora-
tions                                                            we are hard pressed
 
                                                   the only planet
                                                            utterly lost
          our journey                                                            on Earth
 
    sparse      obscure      unpretentious
                       seen                    in the
                                                            huge pinwheel of stars
 
                                                                                                    spiral
arms turning slowly                                                           Now
                                 we find ourselves falling
          an obscure
                    impression
    stars streaming by us     a vast array 
luminous stars
others
                   solitary

from 2014 Rattle Young Poets Anthology

__________

Why do you like to write poetry?

Emma Faye Jewell: “I like to write poetry because I can express myself freely and rhythmically. Being a musician, the sound of poetry is something I love. I am also an avid reader, so this poem was interesting for me to write since I sampled from published text to create something unique and totally different from what was originally there.”

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