Sungrazer

Marian Christie

from obscurity to incandescence
in an elongated catwalk’s fiery lights
following the wake of generations
a dance of gravity
through space through time
as heat intensifies begin to swiften
sublimate swing around the focus
forced to follow
in the wake of generations
shaped as a puny fist to punch the wind
diffuse the shock
traverse from darkness to illumination
flaunt a filament of shining dust
yield
to tidal rip
be flung
fragmented
by the aureole’s kiss
towards obscurity
from perihelion
in the wake
of generations
on
and on

The Science

A sungrazer is a comet that passes in close proximity to the sun, reaching perihelion (the point in the orbit of a comet that is nearest to the sun) within a few solar radii and in the process being subjected to extreme solar wind and gravitational conditions that can result in fragmentation. The inspiration for this poem is the comet Ikeya-Seki, belonging to the Kreutz group of sungrazers which all have similar orbits around the sun. They are believed to be fragments of a single parent comet and may in turn have themselves fragmented during a perihelion pass. I observed Ikeya-Seki as a child in 1965.

The Poet

Marian Christie was born in Zimbabwe and travelled widely before settling in her current home in Kent. She has master’s degrees in applied mathematics and creative writing and her poetry often explores mathematical themes. When not reading or writing poetry she looks at the stars, puzzles over the laws of physics, listens to birdsong and crochets. She blogs at marianchristiepoetry.net.

Next poem: Taking Soundings by Rachael Clyne