"Were all stars to disappear or die, I should learn to look at an empty sky And feel its total dark sublime Though this might take me a little time." † ~ stars (after auden) who looks at stars and could so foolish be to rail against their native nursery? who'd speak of love or impulse to adore forgetting we were forged in stellar core? all varied forms of life upon this earth by stellar sacrifice were given birth for all the elements of which we're made by supernova blast have been conveyed we are stardust billion year old carbon ... and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden and evermore our paths will thus align : their destiny and ours e'er intertwine we only echo their majestic flame a lineage of fire in mortal frame and anyone can note with simple glance 'tis not indifference but inheritance for every sky reveals what stars declare : they are our kin, and we, their answered prayer "we are stardust billion year old carbon ... and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden" †† rjh 20apr2026 ~ † W. H. Auden, "The More Loving One." Homage to Clio : Faber and Faber, 1960. †† Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock" (Ladies of the Canyon, 1970) style and effects inspired by @aAa@, "Echos d'Ames" https://suno.com/song/1650d46a-fead-4b81-be4a-0a64ae7cd3d5 ~ nb : on monday 20apr2026 the new york times announced 'the poetry challenge' ... the first poem is w.h. auden’s “the more loving one” ... which is anything but a celebration of the relationship ... indeed, dependence ... we have on stars ... and on the natural world more generally ... so, as the saying goes, i beg to differ ... rf: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/books/wh-auden-the-more-loving-one-poetry-challenge.html
