Riding The Night

Posted on November 9, 2017 by purplepeninportland

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub – “Lookin’ Up!”  (posted by Lillian)

In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope, named after Edwin Hubble, was launched to orbit around the earth. Using Wikipedia, let’s get some perspective on the Hubble:

It’s as long as a large school bus.
It weighs as much as two adult elephants.
It travels around the Earth at about 5 miles per second. That’s as fast as driving a car from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast in 10 minutes!
It takes pictures of planets, stars and galaxies. It’s seen stars born and it’s seen stars die. It’s seen galaxies trillions of miles from earth.
When I see photos from the Hubble, it makes me realize how teeny-tiny each one of us is while on this earth, within our solar system, within all those galaxies beyond ours.

I’ve selected four photos taken by Hubble and ask you to choose 1 for your inspiration. Your poem does not have to be about outer space, the stars, or the Hubble. These are such amazing photos, I suspect they can inspire in numerous ways. Leap out of the photo you choose; or leap into it. How does it make you feel, think, believe? If you didn’t know the image came from the Hubble, what would come to mind looking at it? Let your imagination wander the universe or stay close to home today and we’ll come along for the ride.

Extreme star cluster bursts into life in new Hubble image

Credit: ESA/Hubble; NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

Enfold me in blue
and silver starlight.
Inside this hubble-
bubble of galaxies,
a unicorn ambles by.
I want to fly-glide
across the sky
sitting astride
that unicorn, visiting
planetary stops
along the way.

https://dversepoets.com/

About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.
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9 Responses to Riding The Night

  1. Nan Mykel says:
    November 9, 2017 at 4:55 am

    A grant Christmas tree of reality…maybe.

    Like

  2. lillian says:
    November 9, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    Oh I LOVE this idea!!!
    “Inside this hubble-
    bubble of galaxies,
    a unicorn ambles by.”
    And the idea of riding astride that unicorn….visiting all these magical places imaged by Hubble…now that is a wish for a dream…perhaps the plot for a children’s fantasy movie? Or book?
    So glad you posted to the prompt! 🙂

    Like

  3. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) says:
    November 9, 2017 at 4:45 pm

    To ride on a unicorn… I thought it had to be warp speed 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Victoria C. Slotto says:
    November 10, 2017 at 6:39 pm

    How really beautiful. I sense Freedom in the fly-glide phrase. Let’s go for it!

    Like

  5. Colin Lee says:
    November 13, 2017 at 1:02 am

    “sitting astride / that unicorn” — and there in fact is a constellation called “Monoceros”!

    Like

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