Starry Afterlife

An afterlife awaits a star
on having bid its au revoir
in supernova’s days of yore,
with remnant of collapsing core
impressionistic as Renoir.

The cosmos leaves the door ajar
for astral evolution far
with pulsar winds wherefrom outpour
an afterlife.

In vast sidereal memoir,
through brilliant stellar repertoire,
midst universe’s evermore
with skies our astro-eyes explore,
from starry stuff we humans are
an afterlife.


~ Harley White


* * * * * * * * *


“We are made of stellar ash. Our origin and evolution have been tied to distant cosmic events. The exploration of the cosmos is a voyage of self-discovery.”
~ Carl Sagan, Cosmos

The poem is a rondeau ~ a short poem of fixed form, consisting of 13 lines (plus the phrase twice) on two rhymes and having the opening words or phrase used in two places as an unrhymed refrain.

Inspiration for poem from article and image ~ G292.0+1.8: Stellar Forensics with Striking Image from Chandra

Explanation from Chandra ~ This supernova remnant shows us just how complex a star’s afterlife can be! About 20,000 light years from Earth, G292.0+1.8 contains a pulsar left behind after the death of a massive star, as well as other features that give scientists insight into supernova remnant evolution.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2018

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Wolf Avatar
November 28, 2019 at 7:19 PM
Love everything about this write, Harley, from the pulsar winds to the ash and the afterlife. Season's best, Gershon
White Avatar
November 29, 2019 at 6:55 AM
I appreciate your comment a lot, and I'm pleased that you liked the poem. Thank you!
Ravidas Avatar
May 1, 2019 at 4:46 AM
Another beautiful rondeau. Pleasure in every line.
White Avatar
May 1, 2019 at 6:52 AM
Thank you. I appreciate that...
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