In a Grain of Sand
To see a world in a grain of sand …
—from “Auguries of Innocence” by William Blake
We are Starseeds
every one of us –
you & me,
& me and you
& him & her,
& them
& they
& those
Who know of this
are truly blessed …
True for all
living beings,
beings living –
not humans only,
but ants & trees
& the open breeze,
things that breathe
air or fire,
water, earth
all kinds of dust
& dirt,
particles
a part of all,
all a part
of
Everything
that is
in everything;
Thus, it Sings!!!
& its song
is Life,
& Life
is!!! …
a seed of Stars,
the dust of Suns
& Moons
rocks & dust
& outer smoke
in outer space
Floating
in a bath of timelessness,
counted, measured
numbered
by some species –
others caring not;
Science & Mathematics
trying to plot
Poetry in motion,
Motion
in a Helix’s curve,
And Life
on Earth
becomes visible
to You
through the naked I!
Copyright © 2024 by Jesús Papoleto Meléndez. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on December 11, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.
“The inspiration for this poem [came] after reading ‘Auguries of Innocence’ by William Blake, wherein the first line expresses ‘to see a world in a grain of sand,’ and the thought of that gave me pause to think about the immensity of that notion. I love life and the cosmos, and believe in my heart that poetry is about empathy. I feel so much for the plights of humanity, the struggle of people living in harmony, trends of how much we are divided while neglecting how much we have in common, [and] how the tiniest things in the universe resemble the largest. I presume we’ve gotten used to the color of blood; perhaps if we were able to see it microscopically, to see the cells themselves, we might mature in humanity. The visual style of the poem on the page is a technique developed over the years, which I call cascadance because the words seem to cascade away from the left-hand margin of the verse, so it’s not totally flush-left. To me, this technique allows for the playfulness of the relationship between words and phrases. It’s not image-oriented, but rather a flow of consciousness on a canvas.”
—Jesús Papoleto Meléndez
Jesús Papoleto Meléndez
