Poem: Stars

Holding on
In the midst of chaos
Showing myself
I’m my own day boss
Pushing on
Despite hardships
Flexing muscles
Clenching fists

Stars: do we reach for them
Or manufacture them?

A world we’ve created here
Reveals we’ve tried our chem

In the lab, in the field
Making star-like qualities
Mimicking nature
With all our hyperbole

The final product looks and feels like
A star
But in essence, it’s no star
Nor does it function like one
Nowhere reaching the bar

Thrusting forward
In the middle of pandemic
On display
Showing what really makes me tick
Moving ahead
Sweaty brow, defiant sneer
Making something out of nothing
With or without
The right gear

Stars
They’re already out there
Sitting there, blazing there
Beyond our panic
Without a care
They’ve motivated
Many a woman
Many a man
Many a girl or boy
Stars shining above our heads
In the midnight hour
Separate from each and every
Human thought or ploy

Though we may never grab their tails
We can grasp this truth:
That we are from them and will end up in their core
Stardust we are,
This is science, not lore

To reach for the stars
The real ones, the natural ones
Is to prove our very essence
While mimicry and faking
Are a corruption of this message

We live and breathe
As creatures of nature
Under its tutelage
Drawn from its DNA
Cozying up
To natural movements
Will fix many foibles
And keep collapse at bay

To reach for the stars
Is to close your eyes
Imagine yourself
Merging, surging
Coinciding with nature’s rise

It’s hard at times
To figure out what’s natural
But easy to see
The artificial
Scientists can help
Us in this mission
Interpreting reality
Fueling our vision

Holding on
In the midst of contagion
Staying sane
While the world’s raging
Pushing forward
Despite hiccoughs
Flexing nature
Reaching for the stars

~ Gunnar Våken