Poetry Friday: I used to think the universe was green

Poetry Friday is hosted here this week, and I'm launching it one day early so you can leave your links before you plunge into the 48-hour Book Challenge tomorrow.  Mr. Linky is out sick, so please leave your links in the comments section and I'll round them up throughout the day.

Thanks to Joyce Sidman, whose new book, Red Sings From the Treetops, inspired me to try a color poem.

I used to think the universe was green—

because, of course, I read that.
And better yet, the reason
was we live upon a stage,

the glare of hottest blue fading

to gels of barely throbbing red;

between, a pool of willow-shaded light

I bud with metaphor---our home glowing
like a neon appletini upon a billboard sign
or a mermaid’s radar sweep of eye!

I whir with glossy thoughts like wings
of bottle beetles, beating lines from air
like salt from shallow turquoisy seas.

I'm mobbed by tendrils, kudzu-razzi thick 
and taffy-green; all broadcasting poem 
and poem and sticky juicy poem

Then they recant.  Our universe is beige,
I’m told, sand flat pale, a last-season nut,
a spoonless, moon cheeseless mush. 

The verdant moss behind
my ears sends out a hiss
of signal as it fades---

green oh green oh green oh

-Sara Lewis Holmes (all rights reserved)

*Um, this was edited this morning to reflect the fact that although my original example of a "young" star was yellow, as is the most common, in this poem, I should evoke the hottest, bluest stars in order to mix (so the news stories said) with old red ones to make green.  However, in stage lighting, red gels and blue gels cast magenta light. What the scientists were really trying to tell me was that the entire universe shifted from the hot, blue end of the spectrum to the cooler, red end as the universe aged. Except that they were wrong about it looking green, as cited below.   

* From CNN.com, Jan. 10, 2002: 

 "What would one see if the rainbow of lights that comprise the visible universe were mixed together into one color? Astronomers think something slightly greener than pale turquoise." 

And from Space.com: 

"'From one perspective, it's surprising that it turns out to be green, because there are no greenish stars,' said Glazebrook, an assistant astronomy professor. 'But it's the large number of old red stars and young blue stars in the universe that gives us the green.' (Yes, mixing red and blue paint yields nothing but icky paint, which anyone with children would know. But combining red and blue light yields an entirely different result, which you've probably guessed by now.)"

And finally, the disappointing truth, on March 8, 02 from Wired: 

"The color of the universe is not an intriguing pale turquoise, as astronomers recently announced. It's actually beige and a rather ordinary beige at that."

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Kurious Kitty looks at strawberry poems in preparation for her library's annual strawberry festival.

Diane Mayr is sharing "To a Cat" by Algernon Charles Swinburne.

Kelly Fineman continues her month of in-depth and lively Shakespeare posts with a study of his Sonnet #5.

Little Willow (always whirring herself!) shares a poem about a sassy girl: The Little Rebel by Joseph Ashby-Sterry.

Gregory K tempts us with an original poem for National Doughnut Day (how did I miss THAT?) Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts!

Julie Larios at The Drift Record has an original poem made from real book titles.

Mary Lee has a post about the changing of seasons, school-year or otherwise.

Andromeda Jazmon pays tribute to her parents' 55 years of marriage with an original poem constructed from their words of wisdom. What a gift!.

Laura Salas posts about the "terrific" anthology, Falling Down the Page and continues her picture-based 15 Words or Less Poetry Challenge with an interesting photo of a buffalo made from recycled tires.

Andrea of Just One More Book! shares "a chat about rhyming board book Fun Dog, Sun Dog ... and a little treat: 6 year old twins share their favourite rhyming books."

Jama is featuring "The Booksigning" by James Tate (Got to go read that at once!)

Author Amok honors her father-in-law who passed away this week by posting William Carlos Williams' "The Last Words of My English Grandmother." Her FIL had been at the hospital where WCW worked for decades.

Tricia of The Miss Rumphius Effect, points us to Neil Gaiman's poem, Instructions, with a link to the full text as well as a video of Gaiman reading the poem.

Betsy at Fuse #8 reviews Food Hates You, Too and Other Poems, by Robert Weinstock.

Sally at PaperTigers reviews Talking Turkeys.

John Mutford reviews a Don McKay book as well as offering up one of his own.

Kelly Polark is in with a Jim Morrison poem.

Elaine Magliaro has two posts. One, at Wild Rose Reader, is a review of a new book of frog and toad poems that was written and illustrated many years ago by Arnold Lobel, PLUS "a video from HarperCollins in which Adrianne Lobel talks about THE FROGS AND TOADS ALL SANG, her father, and her process for coloring her father's drawings." The other, At Blue Rose Girls, highlights a poem about teaching by Mary Ruefle entitled The Hand.

Charlotte is sharing Sylvia Townsend Warner's take on Sleeping Beauty.

Linda gives us a discussion about a wonderful poetry class she just finished. OH! It's Laura Salas's class. No wonder she raves!

Beth Brezenoff, at the Stone Arch Books blog, posts James Wright's "A Blessing," which she says is "perfect for a late spring day..."

Violet offers us peony poems - one by Jane Kenyon and one by Mary Oliver. (Two of my favorite poets!)

Karen E. says she's "in (but just barely ... it's not really poetry, it's about chocolate)" That counts for me!

Liz in Ink says "Here I am with thoughts on the end of school and nostalgia and Miller Williams..."

Windspirit_girl shares a link to a poem she wrote last night about "time, storms, and human frailty."

Jim Danielson has an original haiku review of THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

Lorie Ann Grover shares two links: At On Point, an original haiku, Possibilities, and at readertotz, Sally Go Round the Sun.

Stella wrote a poem to her "dear 5th grade ESL class that is graduating today."

Martha offers Ralph Fletcher's Buried Alive: The Elements of Love, and talks poetry at the tae kwon do dojang.

Susan is featuring "The Rose Bush" by Nikki Giovanni. AND SHE HAS A LINK TO THE ONGOING BOOK DRIVE AT COLOR ONLINE. Go check it out!

Sylvia Vardell at Poetry for Children joins us with a post about April Halprin Wayland and her new book, plus a poem.

Carol has a review of ALL BY HERSELF, biographical poems by Ann Whitford Paul.

The Z-Kids did some original concrete poetry this week, inspired by the WONDERFUL "Curious Collection of Cats."

Bri Meets Books is in with "In the Artist's Studio" by Christina Georgina Rosetti.