Memory Recall

Jennie B. Ziegler

The Science

This erasure poem was crafted from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab’s caption of a photo taken of Neptune in 1989 by Voyager 2 as it flew by the planet, following its twin, on its way to interstellar space, roughly 12 years into its mission. The poem was inspired by the way space probes communicate with the various human-led teams who interpret and study not only the data but also how the data is relayed and the various effects space (e.g. radiation) has on the clarity and quality of data. We interpret the images these robots send back to us as beautiful, surprising, and full of hope—even as we launch these probes into poisonous atmospheres, cold voids, and interstellar space, such as the twin Voyagers. We have all at once given them an exciting future and also a doomed fate: sending them into the darkness and isolation of our rather bright and busy universe. This erasure poem is the first “measure” of memory: something both humankind and computers share--that is, the ability to recall. 

The Poet

Jennie B. Ziegler completed her Nonfiction Writing M.F.A. at the University of Arizona and currently lives in the southeastern United States where she teaches at the University of North Florida, including grant writing, service learning, and creative writing as it intersects with hybridity, science, the environment, and the body. Her work has previously appeared in The Normal School, Essay Daily, Appalachian Review, Luna Luna Magazine, Folklore Thursday, and Atlas and Alice, among others, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. More of her work can be found at jennieziegler.com

Next poem: Métricas poéticas del paisaje devastado by Julio San-Martín-Órdenes