center of the universe

The Center of the Universe

Amanda Martin Sandino

Write a piece assembled from class/presentation notes.

i.

minor key and Debussy-esque

a lesser movement of the Arabesque

where it crescendos into slight cacophony

(but just a piano in the darkness)

the metallic ball. holes many protruding

bifurcated, it feels a great violence

has befallen this projector of the stars

perhaps great violence is what

we must come to

in order to project the sky

ii.

i could live here

reclined

with quiet company

and a moony voice

above.

it occurs to me

i’ve never slept beneath

a naked sky.

i’ll sleep now and dream

i am living

iii.

roofs are meant to be global

skies dark, music playing

time is only one dimension

but space is many

iv.

Nix, the Goddess of the Sunset

We can Simulate a Sunset

All the Known Universe

v.

globular steampunk tortured device

spinning powered by a tesla coil

cgi lightninging in the lobby

vi.

a view of Alexandria via camera obscura

Ptolemy sits with an ancient pre-telescope

In the background, our serapeum burns

vii.

galileo’s sideways study

the scientist was young, thin

voyeuristically

visual consumption

of the hubble telescope

motion sickness

viii.

there is hope here

planets die all the time

earths are dying

all the time

we are not alone

in our ruin,

only alone,

in our cause

ix.

are you afraid of dark matters?

“dark energy” feels maudlin

poets rarely have the opportunity

to name scientific discoveries

x.

we will one day

live on an earth

made Martian

cold world

ocean spaces

signs of was-life

for droids to visit

but none to mourn.