Magazine Posts

If I have a poetry predilection,
is it considered a poem addiction?

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

Why are these large stones here? One the more famous stone circles is the Duddo Five Stones of Northumberland, England. Set in the open near the top of a modest incline, a short hike across empty fields will bring you to unusual human -sized stones that are unlike anything surrounding them. The grooved, pitted, and deeply weathered surfaces of the soft sandstones are consistent with being placed about 4000 years ago -- but placed for reasons now unknown. The featured image -- a composite of two consecutive images taken from the same location -- was captured last October under a starry sky when the Earth was passing near Mars, making the red planet unusually large and bright. Mars remains visible at sunset, although increasingly close to the horizon over the next few months. APOD via Instagram in: English, Indonesian, Persian, and Portuguese

Photo by Ged Kivlehan

My mind is gone,
so I won't pretend,
and now await
my life to end.
I no longer have,
patience or desire,
for my life is over,
no more the fire.

Lose the attitude
of being.
Close your eyes,
so unseeing.
Pain of others,
compassion fleeing.
Re-affirm your life's
future meaning.

What will this new day bring?
The sight of new flowers,
in this cold, cold Spring.
The coldest days
in one hundred twenty-five years,
brings forth the hurt,
brings forth the fears.
Stop the Virus now! Today.
Before civilization goes away.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

What's up in the sky from Auriga to Orion? Many of the famous stars and nebulas in this region were captured on 34 separate images, taking over 430 hours of exposure, and digitally combined to reveal the featured image. Starting on the far upper left, toward the constellation of Auriga (the Chariot driver), is the picturesque Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405). Continuing down along the bright arc of our Milky Way Galaxy, from left to right crossing the constellations of the Twins and the Bull, notable appearing nebulas include the Tadpole, Simeis 147, Monkey Head, Jellyfish, Cone and Rosette nebulas. In the upper right quadrant of the image, toward the constellation of Orion (the hunter), you can see Sh2-264, the half-circle of Barnard's Loop, and the Horsehead and Orion nebulas. Famous stars in and around Orion include, from left to right, orange Betelgeuse (just right of the image center), blue Bellatrix (just above it), the Orion belt stars of Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak, while bright Rigel appears on the far upper right. This stretch of sky won't be remaining up in the night very long -- it will be setting continually earlier in the evening as mid-year approaches.

Photo by Alistair Symon

Do you suppose
if I were to propose
a meeting of those
with the funny old clothes,
they would accept? Who knows
for they're wearing odd hose.
I suppose I would, if my nose
invited them and they arose
to ask of the nature of those
who did lately, I suppose.

The Midnight bells
rang loudly then.
It was when it all began.
The Moon disappeared
behind a cloud,
as the Midnight bells,
kept ringing, loud.
Bright the lights; Heaven
did shine,
as we heard the
peasant scream.
Where are you , My Lord?
Why have you forgotten
us, here, in this place?
Now we know and must face
our shortened life's new embrace.

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day:

No one knew that 2,000 years ago, the technology existed to build such a device. The Antikythera mechanism, pictured, is now widely regarded as the first computer. Found at the bottom of the sea aboard a decaying Greek ship, its complexity prompted decades of study, and even today some of its functions likely remain unknown. X-ray images of the device, however, have confirmed that a main function of its numerous clock-like wheels and gears is to create a portable, hand-cranked, Earth-centered, orrery of the sky, predicting future star and planet locations as well as lunar and solar eclipses. The corroded core of the Antikythera mechanism's largest gear is featured, spanning about 13 centimeters, while the entire mechanism was 33 centimeters high, making it similar in size to a large book. Recently, modern computer modeling of missing components is allowing for the creation of a more complete replica of this surprising ancient machine.

Be not the day,
be not the night,
when the words,
do not come,
with any rhyme.

From without, the night.
From without the day,
You will do what you do,
And do it your own way.