What creatures dream?

Close-up of M17 by the Hubble Space Telescope

 

What creatures dream?

 

     "...Breathe in the possibilities..."

 

What creatures dream on other worlds?

On planets born where matter swirls

With multi-moons and triple suns

With days like months and seasons none

 

What poetry and science there?

On lands most hot, where winds are rare

In frigid seas of nitrogen

When stars exhaust their hydrogen

 

And what, then, their philosophy?

With water a great rarity

When lava flows in fire falls

When life but lives in cavern halls

 

And what of worlds beyond our ken?

Existence with dimension ten

When time’s dimensions number two

Fate both before and after you

 

What poetry might be, my friend

On the sad worlds where time does end

With space dimensions less than three

Where physics can’t support a tree

 

Can you imagine such a world?

That chance into existence hurled

And though these worlds beyond me be

I prize their possibility

 

Do creatures dream on other worlds?

I think it so, when thoughts unfurl

And gazing up into the sky

It's awe of life that draws my sigh

 

 

 

©2008, Richard Puetter

All rights reserved

Featured in the online magazine "People Are Amazing", May 27, 2015--see http://people-are-amazing.com/what-creatures-dream/.

Author's Note

Dear Readers,

This poem, "What creatures dream", and me, the author, were featured on the on-line magazine "People Are Amazing" in June of 2015. Below is the article that appeared with the poem.

My best regards,

Rick

----- Magazine Article -----

This week I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with author and professional astronomer Richard Puetter. Richard, who was introduced to poetry at a young age by his father, admits that as he grew up, the fascinations with science and mathematics outstripped his ambitions as a writer, but in later years, as he sought to publish chapters of a fantasy novel he was working on, the lure of poetry was once again reinvigorated.

To me, Richard is a fascinating writer. He sees beyond a work’s potential to move people, and understands it’s potential to communicate. “While most poets would quickly agree that emotion is the fundamental part of writing poetry (and this is probably the motivation behind poetic writing), poetry itself speaks to the mind. It is language. If done properly it is the highest form of communication. But it is different than music or painting, for example. Those arts talk more directly to the pure emotional part of us. But poetry hits us without the need for sound and without visual input. It speaks to our minds, and the intellect then fires up the emotional being inside of us.”

Richard goes on to explain, “That is why unlike lots of other poets, I like to write pieces that are chock-full of facts, and in many of my pieces you’ll find pages of footnotes. I think this can fire up the mind all on its own, and then the poetic work can be seen on a broader canvas, which increases the emotional potential."

I like to think of Richard as a purist, a perfectionist, someone that’s always tinkering, perfecting, adapting. His writing is alive and evolving continuously as he grows, learns, reconsiders. Indeed he would tell you himself, “I think a poem is living art. It only is finished, at least for me, when the poet dies.” While I was talking with him, he pointed me to a quote attributed to noble laureate physicist Feyman.

“I have a friend who’s an artist, and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say “look how beautiful it is,” and I’ll agree. Then he says “I as an artist can see how beautiful this is, but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,” and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people, and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is … I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimetre; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colours in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it, is interesting; it means that insects can see the colour. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts.”

This is the wonderful ability that Richard possess. He can see beyond the words of his poetry and communicate through his writing effectively and efficiently. He is able to write with inspiration in his words, inspiration that might awaken the hungry mind of a young reader to question the universe in which he or she lives. It is the ability to prompt the reader to ponder the presented facts, to mull over the concepts and ideas that lie within the writing. Richard’s ability to channel his own curiosity and share it with his readers is masterful and refreshing. It is the prime reason that I find myself fascinated and enchanted by his work, and am so excited to share it with our readers.

Richard Puetter is a prolific writer, not only of poetry, but of a whole array of stories, novels and books that will enthral and enchant you. If you’d like to know any more about Richard Puetter or follow him online, please use the links provided below.

Reviews

[Emily Rose]

I exist! And I really like this - it's great to ponder the existence of other worlds and other creatures on those worlds, especially for one so informed about science as yourself. Your knowledge really carries into your poetry!

I have some little things, of course. In your second stanza, "What poetry and science there" makes sense, but it's still a little unclear. Why not "is poetry and science there?" It would add a verb to the line, plus it makes it sound a bit more inquisitive. I would recommend a similar fix in the first line of the third stanza - "what, then, their philosophy" sounds a little more archaic than I think the tone really supports, so I would recommend "And what is their philosophy?" or "Do they know philosophy?" or something equally as inquisitive. Starting off with verbs, even if they aren't particularly strong verbs, is a great way to bring more clarity and focus to a line. I find the fifth stanza a little confusing as well; I think it's the question mark the throws me off, since it implies that I new idea is being started in the next line, when it's much more clear to read the lines together: "What poetry might be, my friend, in the sad worlds where time does end, with space demensions less than three, where physics cannot hold a tree?" (I must say, too, that the "physics cannot hold a tree" line strikes me as slightly out of place and more there for the sake of the rhyme scheme than anything else. I can see what you're doing with it; a tree couldn't very well exist in a two-demensional world, but even so, it seems a little random after you're talking about such a heavy subject as the destruction of time.)

The last stanza is wonderful, by the way, although (and I'm sure you knew I'd say this) I think adding more punctuation to the poem in general would make it much clearer. It's your choice, though. Well done as usual, Rick!

[Marie Anzalone]

"I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we *can* suppose. "-J.B.S. Haldane

It takes a lot of effort to imagine a world where the laws of physics as we know them do not exist... ever notice that sci-fi creatures almost all have vaguely humanoid features, move through 3 dimensions, and, most importantly, carry guns? What happens when we extend the rules, and explore other possibilities?

I really liked this, Rick- what a great way to start my morning. It was wonderful view into the mind that looks at the stars with a sense of wonder, and is not afraid to ask, "what if?", despite still knowing a hell of a lot more about what's out there than most of us. It would seem, indeed, that the wonder has increased for the knowledge? What a fabulous perspective!

[Dianah]

Oh yes, I love this. I often think about similar things. I like the rhyming pattern. There is a real sense of wonder in this and I love the photo. feel like stargazing now if if wasn't for the thick grey blanket that seems to be a permanent fixture up there. Another winner in my book, Rick.

Dianah :)

[Anthony M Smith Jr]

I dream of worlds like this! Very inspiring words and I like the way you use the possible dimensions we have yet too name! Flawless! Thanks, this has to be one of my favorite poems by you.
TT-TTO-NI-K
Elk

[Emily B]

reminds me of Longfellow and other greats . . . lovely words.

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

A beautiful, lovely well written poem. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[Nautili]

Nice work. You have an instinctual way with words and meter, it seems to flow effortlessly. Always intriguing to think of life on other planets, but this piece made me think of philosophy and art, of dreams and inventions on other planets as well.

[spence]

Unfurling pixels
Blanket of eternity
Take me in your fold

[spence]

Sigh! The words matched the picture! Both are awe inspiring and take me to a place that my mind loves to venture. I often think of what other creatures dream- and the form these other creatures will take. Does all life have to be carbon based? I've tried to discuss this many times and have been met with a brick wall 'yes'- and though I can't argue the facts of science I can't shake the feeling the conditions necessary to sustain our physical structure must only be part of reality- and the physics of this place cannot be applied elsewhere. I'm a pure dreamer and rarely has a poem caused my mind to transgress the realm of possibility so easily. My whole library is going to be full of your poems and essays at this rate, Thanks for directing me to this! spence

[Lydia]

Truly a beautiful piece. Great write, I really enjoyed it!

[Lyra H]

Much more imaginative than the other poems entered in my contest...nice ;)