Astronomical Monologue
It used to be enough to bend rays of light
around
my ecliptic,
that planets
in their proud mass
and density,
were compelled to circle
on a plane
determined by my formation,
by the rotation
of gas and dust
in the wake of condensation.
It used be to enough to have control.
I need more.
More power and mass:
a more incredible dent
in the fabric of space/
time.
I need the kind of attraction
I can get from explosion,
from stealing mass
from a nearby star, exceeding
the edge of stable.
They call me ‘black hole,’
as though I am nothing.
I revel in my ability
to consume
anything
—Steven Andrews ’05
Reprinted from The Wabash Review