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{"id":2495,"date":"2024-02-23T09:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-02-23T14:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualnaturalist\/?p=2495"},"modified":"2024-02-23T09:30:24","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23T14:30:24","slug":"naturalistic-poems-by-james-ph-kotsybar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualnaturalist\/2024\/02\/naturalistic-poems-by-james-ph-kotsybar\/","title":{"rendered":"Naturalistic Poems by James Ph. Kotsybar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u00a0

by\u00a0

SNS Guest<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/head>

\n

(Today\u2019s post features poetry by guest writer James Ph. Kotsybar, whose poems have received special recognition by NASA. A brief bio is provided below.)<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u201d IS FOR ASTRONOMY<\/p>\n

Enraptured by the infinite night sky
\nthat beckons, like a seductive teacher,
\ninciting me to ask the questions why,
\nI find no need for pulpit or preacher.<\/p>\n

Divinity quietly winks at me
\nwith billions of twinkling eyes until
\nI\u2019m drawn into majestic mystery,
\nenticed to learn to understand this thrill.<\/p>\n

I am myself the dust of what I view,
\norganized to observe and comprehend
\nthis study I\u2019ve \u00a0begun, that\u2019s never through \u2014
\ncosmic curriculum without an end.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pupil to the stars and teachers\u2019 pet,
\nand yet, I\u2019ve barely learned the alphabet.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

BIG BANG REVIEW<\/p>\n

Something from nothing is the ultimate act of expressive creativity.<\/p>\n

That is our core \u2013
\na miracle of probability or chance.<\/p>\n

So many ways it might have failed but doesn\u2019t, but most impressive is the free use of elements that had never previously existed \u2013
\nthe sheer inventiveness!<\/p>\n

In a sensible universe that follows simple logic we are,
\nafter billions of evolutionary years, able to understand, arrange and extrapolate life\u2019s ample supplies and inspiration.<\/p>\n

We become artists to
\nshare in the ingenuity
\nof our expanding multiverse.<\/p>\n

Our origin and nature
\ncreates desire and desire to create.<\/p>\n

Like observational ability,
\nfrom simplest rules comes great complexity.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

THE NURTURE OF NATURE<\/p>\n

We think we can preserve the life we see
\nby simply storing it genetically,
\nor in museums of taxidermy
\nor zoos, that almost let it wander free.<\/p>\n

An animal that\u2019s caged might perform stunts
\nbut wont display natural behavior.
\nThe tiger that is fed no longer hunts,
\nand the zookeeper is not its savior.<\/p>\n

Specimens for future generations
\ncannot convey the wonder that\u2019s been lost.
\n\u201cNature Exhibits\u201d are decorations,
\nreminding us of what our progress cost.<\/p>\n

Life\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0can be maintained in the wild.
\nUnless vivacious, it\u2019s just been defiled.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

SPIRIT<\/p>\n

Suppose you found out that you were a ghost,
\nwould you continue to haunt
\nor move on?<\/p>\n

Do you think you would try your uttermost
\nto talk to those who weep
\nbecause you\u2019re gone?<\/p>\n

I think perhaps you\u2019d sit with them a while
\nto offer comfort from beyond\/above,
\nto eavesdrop on their prayers,
\nsee through their guile
\nor just to share their company and love,
\nbut, with all of eternity before you,
\nas a pure spirit,
\nunfettered by flesh,
\nmight your past become mundane
\nand bore you?<\/p>\n

How does one keep disembodiment fresh?<\/p>\n

Could the cosmos call you
\non some new quest, or would you equate
\nfamiliar with best?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

LIGHTEN\u00a0UP<\/p>\n

Dark Energy can
\noverwhelm attractive force
\nand drive all away.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

SOLIDLY ETHEREAL<\/p>\n

We\u2019re made of stuff that\u2019s hardly even here,
\ncomposed of atoms that are mostly space.<\/p>\n

The solidity with which they appear
\nhappens because their trapped electrons race
\naround the nucleus \u2014 near light speed fast \u2014
\nand always possess a negative charge
\nthat won\u2019t allow similar charges past.<\/p>\n

They also make the atom appear large.<\/p>\n

Around the nucleus, that is tiny,
\nelectrons blur to a far distant cloud.<\/p>\n

Were we their size, we wouldn\u2019t even see
\nthe nucleus we\u2019d remotely enshroud.<\/p>\n

The percent of empty space that we define
\nis ninety nine point nine nine nine nine nine.<\/p>\n

\nBrief Bio:<\/strong><\/div>\n

James Ph. Kotsybar, chosen for NASA\u2019s special recognition, is the first poet published to another planet aboard NASA\u2019s Mars orbiting MAVEN spacecraft. His poetry appears in the Hubble Space Telescope\u2019s mission log and was awarded and featured at NASA\u2019s Centaur\u2019s 50th Anniversary Art Challenge. Invited by the President of the European Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters in 2018, he performed his poetry before an international audience of scientists and Troubadours (Europe\u2019s oldest poetic institution) in their founding city of Toulouse, France, at the EuroScience Open Forum, earning a standing return invitation. He sees a point down the\u00a0road where science and poetry will meet again for their mutual benefit.<\/div>\n

__________<\/em><\/strong>***
***\nLearn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual naturalism as a way of life, develop its thought and practice, and help bring together like-minded practitioners in fellowship.<\/em><\/p>\n

SNS strives to include diverse voices within the spectrum of naturalistic spirituality. Authors will vary in their opinions, terms, and outlook. The views of no single author therefore necessarily reflect those of all Spiritual Naturalists or of SNS.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0by\u00a0SNS Guest (Today\u2019s post features poetry by guest writer James Ph. Kotsybar, whose poems have received special recognition by NASA. A brief bio is provided below.) \u201cA\u201d IS FOR ASTRONOMY Enraptured by the infinite night sky that beckons, like a seductive teacher, inciting me to ask the questions why, I find no need for pulpit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1269,"featured_media":1010,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-2495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spiritual-naturalism","tag-poetry"],"yoast_head":"\nNaturalistic Poems by James Ph. Kotsybar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0by\u00a0SNS Guest (Today\u2019s post features poetry by guest writer James Ph. Kotsybar, whose poems have received special recognition by NASA. 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