Perseverance
—Deborah P Kolodge and Billie Dee
backyard bird call
Perseverance
lands on Mars
blast of solar wind
the dank of withered reeds
Venusian clouds
a biplane circles
the sky above me
the half-moon betta
sipping air
Europa's hidden seas
cardinals at the feeder
snowfall on Pluto
Kepler's star
the iron in my blood
blood red
Third Place (Judges: John Thompson and Jacquie Pearce)
Comments: This audacious dual-theme rengay stretches our imaginations across the universe, yet at the same time keeps us firmly grounded on our home planet—a brilliant mix of science and poetics full of intriguing leaps and links. The verses combine an objective scientific tone with underlying emotional tensions associated with the contemplation of the diverse possibilities of life. There is also a sense of playfulness with the surprising comparisons and images. "Venusian clouds" are juxtaposed with a circling biplane, an already antiquated technology that represents one of the first steps in our reach for the stars. A fish with a stellar-sounding name (a "half-moon betta") leaves its water environment to momentarily "sip air," perhaps suggesting that we are like fish out of water in our journey into space, or that there may be mysteries to uncover in the hidden seas of Jupiter's moon. At the same time, it subtly reminds us (whether intentionally or not) of our own evolutionary history of arising from the sea, evoking a sense that we are just at the beginning of our journey. The rengay concludes with "Kepler's star," a supernova that would have produced heat and chaos so intense it may have created new elements such as iron, which a basic part of our bodies and of our environment (used in the creation of tools of war and other technology). The reference to "iron" and "blood" (with its red color and associations with blood-loss) return us to Mars, the planet of the first verse, and the god of war. Chaos can either be an end or a beginning. Perhaps, as we reach for the stars, we need to recognize that the stuff of stars is already here around us and inside us.
Frogpond 44.3, Autumn 2021
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