Space

6 Significant Poems about Space

Poems about space explore the vastness and mystery of the cosmos, capturing the awe and wonder of the universe. These verses often depict celestial bodies like stars, planets, and galaxies.

Poets use memorable language to convey the sense of exploration and curiosity that arises from contemplating the wonders of space. These poems may also delve into existential themes, pondering humanity’s place in the cosmos and the interconnectedness of all life in the universe.

Through their celestial imagery, poems about space invite readers to contemplate the infinite possibilities beyond our world.

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Theories of Time and Space

by Natasha Trethewey

‘Theories of Time and Space’ by Natasha Trethewey navigates a journey of displacement and memory, urging readers to embrace change.

'Theories of Time and Space' by Natasha Trethewey delves into the topic of space through the speaker's reflections on physical and emotional landscapes. The shifting scenery along Mississippi Highway 49 symbolizes the expansive nature of space, both external and internal. The poem explores the concept of space as a canvas for memory, identity, and the passage of time, inviting readers to contemplate its vastness and significance.

You can get there from here, though

there’s no going home.

Everywhere you go will be somewhere

you’ve never been. Try this:

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Heliocentric

by Keith S. Wilson

‘Heliocentric’ by Keith S. Wilson is a singsongy poem about an astronaut in space missing someone on Earth whom he loves and desires.

This poem addresses space as a topic. The speaker is an astronaut, and as he pens down his incoherent thoughts, he is in space and away from his love interest on Earth. He also uses planetary terms in an attempt to describe how he feels. When it comes to space as a topic, this one from Wilson does a good job.

I’m striving to be a better astronaut,

but consider where I’m coming from,

the exosphere,

a desk where the bluest air

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Years

by Sylvia Plath

‘Years’ by Sylvia Plath wrestles with the wearisome nature of eternity while yearning for the rapture of motion.

Hand in hand with Plath's imagery of darkness is an implied connection via imagery to outer space. In the first stanza, the speaker mentions the "outer / Space" and a "darkness so pure." The very next stanza calls god a "vacuous black" where stars appear like "bright stupid confetti." In other words, the vastness of space becomes a powerful symbol for the vapid emptiness they regard eternity with.

They enter as animals from the outer

Space of holly where spikes

Are not thoughts I turn on, like a Yogi,

But greenness, darkness so pure

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I saw no Way – The Heavens were stitched

by Emily Dickinson

‘I saw no Way – The Heavens were stitched’ by Emily Dickinson depicts heaven and the afterlife. The poet thoughtfully explores how she feels about the breadth of the universe.

I saw no Way—The Heavens were stitched—

I felt the Columns close—

The Earth reversed her Hemispheres— I

touched the Universe—

#5

Solar

by Philip Larkin

‘Solar’ by Philip Larkin is an unlikely Larkin poem that depicts the sun. The poet uses lyrical language to describe the sun through a series of metaphors and similes. 

Suspended lion face

Spilling at the centre

Of an unfurnished sky

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The Night Dances

by Sylvia Plath

In ‘The Night Dances’, Plath reflects on the fleeting human experience and the inevitability of death and emptiness.

A smile fell in the grass.

Irretrievable!

 

And how will your night dances

Lose themselves. In mathematics?

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