give me all of space

by Zoë Porter-Parsons

a pupil is a student

and also a black hole 

give me space to be 

space to avoid 

give me space to be a void 

for I am still learning 

about the cosmos 

about eyes that see 

but must be sad 

for aren’t they lonely? 

out there

islands in an interminable 

sea

no divine vision 

can map the topography 

of stars 

light moves through you 

conduits of pain

but can never be held—

for how do you hold a 

moonbeam 

when you are but empty 

space ? 

a pair forever apart 

a pupil is a lonely student 

and a lonely black hole 

still learning about the dark

learning the despair of a 

broken heart 

some infinities are bigger 

than others, did you know? 

I am learning still

what it is to create constellations 

from stardust 

learning to see through this 

vast emptiness 

give me all of space

so that these poor eyes 

can draw a map

to navigate the cosmos

give me all of space

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Zoë Porter-Parsons is a writer from Melbourne. She is infinitely curious about the world and comes to a better understanding through poetry. Zoë studies ecology and philosophy and is interested in where these two spaces intersect. She enjoys writing in that space. She shares her work on her blog https://zoejparsons.wixsite.com/blog

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Posted on June 2nd 2023