Hubble

(Picture from NASA)

This is a more "modern" poem of mine, on a favourite topic: Space. I was most honoured when Sonnet Mondal accepted it for his specialist blog, "Enchanted Verses" - a high quality site. My younger nephew Phil once featured the poem on his Facebook profile. Again Forward Press accepted it for "Spotlight Poets". Here it is:

Above our Earth so high

The Hubble telescope now hangs

Beyond our vault-like sky:

An all embracing eye;

Now showing us the universe

In all her glory.

Those swirling galaxies give way to seemingly endless

Tracts of quasars, dust and gas.

Through Hubble we look back through time,

At remnants of the Big Bang:

The Birth, they tell us, of Creation,

That might be repeated,

Over and over again.

Yet, before this satellite was launched,

Or telescopes invented,

Just what did humans know?

What did the Aztecs know of England,

Or fourteenth century English folk know of America?

As technological advances have

Been swift, so our state of ignorance

Has been revealed for all to see.

For no-one knows The Purpose of Life.

     Why?

   Oh Why!

Do We Live

   To Die

     Why?

For we will Die

Not Knowing Why.

Ask Christ they say, 

He’ll show The Way.

Ask God and He will too.

Ask Allah, Buddha,

Anyone you like;

And Me, I’ll tell you just to Hope,

For Love will see us through.

Paul Butters

© COPYRIGHT PAUL BUTTERS AUGUST 1997.

 Accepted for publication 1997 by “Spotlight Poets\Forward Press” for book “A Storm of Perceptions”. Also on “The Enchanting Verses” website by invitation and posted on poemhunter.com and Voicesnet.com (all 2008).)

Nowadays I usually post new poems on "Triond" site first, as they demand exclusives and no "duplicates". Then I put them on Poemhunter and Voicesnet. My very best go on "Hello Poetry". Some go on Poetfreak etc.

You will see that my earlier poem-posts on this blog are lower down here. Please scroll down to see. Comments appreciated.