The Sunday Whirl presents twelve words for us to use in a creative writing piece.
This weeks words are:
constellations, flames, reckoning, ashes, circles, once, scribbled, narrow, blows, curses, future, three.
The Once and Future Sun.
"The universe seems neither benign nor hostile, merely indifferent".
-- Carl Sagan
At night, away from the lights,
I am looking at the sky, marvelling.
There is so much of it. I mean lots.
I mean, it is seriously big. Very big.
Three hundred billion stars in our own galaxy.
Almost beyond reckoning. Mine certainly.
Stars, constellations, some pulsing and throbbing.
Hard to believe that the One Word of God
Was scribbled down in a small Galilee backwater
By a few fishermen and couple of goat herders.
It is hard to explains such a narrow focus.
But I digress from the main topic, forgive me.
I don’t want things to degenerate to curses and blows.
Of course, our closest star is the sun.
I wonder if it is part of someone else’s constellation?
When a star dies, when the flames go out,
Do they leave ashes? And do they, phoenix-like,
Rise again, like Arthurian legends,
The once and future sun. Perhaps life
Circles around again? Or is the universe
Doomed to a cold and still endpoint?
A celestial grate,
In need of a good sweep out.
◊
Some of my wonderings - better expressed than I could manage. And of course our sun is part of another constellation.
ReplyDelete“The Once and Future Sun” is not a poem about stars but about your relationship with the universe: vitality vs decay. It serves as both a source of inspiration and a mirror for personal beliefs - questions, fears, and aspirations, along with a desire to understand the mysteries of existence. The hope for continuity and the acceptance of inevitable endings coexists with an ongoing curiosity. I love the conversational tone, which makes complex ideas feel approachable. The metaphor of stars dying and rising “phoenix-like” is particularly striking, symbolising both transformation and the possibility of renewal. The blend of scientific curiosity and philosophical introspection feels deeply personal, as you reveal your inner conflict between a longing for meaning and scepticism toward traditional explanations. It’s heartfelt and thought-provoking. The poem left me marvelling at the cosmos, feeling a renewed sense of inquisitiveness, and pondering my place within it. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePS. You brilliantly integrated The Sunday Whirl twelve words.