“She is the Sun” by Lauren Brace

 

Illustration from Freepik.

 

She dances along the ecliptic

Admiring the strength of Aries, the confidence of Leo, the intelligence of Aquarius

Gathering her power as she soars

Pulling the planets, her friends, in an arc of gratitude and celebration

They scowl at her greed yet rejoice in her splendor

Such a fragile thing, this balance she must maintain

Even eclipsed with such burden, she goes on

Pulsing in her glory, her vibrance, her brilliance

Day by day, she passes the meridian

Changing her wavelengths, her stride

Sending out cries at the speed of light

Of her need, her longing, to be loved

To be praised

To be validated in her unending efforts

A fabulous spectrum of color

Rays raining down in her reign over her subjects

Together, hurtling through the galaxy

At the speed few can comprehend

The unsung work she does

In this universe of celestial bodies

Orbiting the center

The center of the universe

She must find her place among the stars

Rising, falling, rising, and falling once more

Time is merely an illusion for the infinite cycles she performs

Only those who look closely see her weakness

The dark spots in which she has been bruised

Her imperfections made apparent

Damaged

The thing she tries to hide

The pieces of her skin that have grown cold

She is forever changed by her experiences

Those who despise

And those who believe

Summoning her strength, holding her head up

Before the masses and all those who doubted her

She will rise, she will fall, and rise again

 

Lauren Brace is a freshman in LSWA studying English and Spanish at LSA. She is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is currently a writer for the U-M newsletter at the Digital Studies Institute.

From The Artist: During an Astronomy class lecture, I learned about the discovery of sunspots on our sun and how this symbol of heaven and perfection was suddenly found to be imperfect. With the knowledge that even the most powerful object in our solar system has "flaws," I was inspired to write a poem applying these principles to the highlights and challenges in our own lives.

Previous
Previous

“A Whistle’s Night” by Noah Chang

Next
Next

“Women have more to lose” by Aileen Dosev