Common Measure - Looking down on the night-world ✈️
Looking down on the night-world ✈️A poem about taking a redeye flight on a clear night. There were cool lights.RedeyeThe lights distended on the plain Viewed from the redeye’s dark and height Are constellated just the same As Nature sutured on the Night. Most but a point, but some arranged In galaxies of city lanes, Static—but for shooting stars: Headlamps on the moving cars. Unlike the sky’s, we do not use These lamps as ends, but as a tool To broaden sight. Unlike those guides They are not, but they show the signs. Unlike the norm, now I am raised Above their scope of usefulness, I value them as astral art: Not what they do, but what they are. ExplanationThe speaker is flying in a plane over a vast expanse of space. He sees the lights of cities, and the earth is very dark, so the city lights look like constellations. In stanza 2, a lot of the lights, the speaker notices, are alone—as in, just the light of one farm house—but some look like entire galaxies clustered together. They notice some moving ones, cars, that look like shooting stars. The speaker contrasts city lights with the stars of the night sky, in stanza 3. He remarks that the lights in the sky have no purpose; we don’t practically do anything with them. The lights on earth, by contrast, are practical things. (This, of course, isn’t entirely true: people use stars for navigation, divination—but the contrast serves the poem.) We appreciate the former for their beauty, the latter for their function. However, since the speaker is in a plane, staring down on city lights, and contemplating their beauty, the standard role of city lights is inverted. They appear to him as “astral art”—as lights to gaze on, not to do anything by. Marijke, when reading this, notes this: “The speaker is in between the two spaces, the city and the sky. They are in a liminal¹ space, brahhh.” Context of writingI was taking a redeye flight from Vancouver back to Toronto, and had a window seat which is unusual for me. I watched the cities and towns pass underneath the plane. The night was very clear and I was struck by their shapes. I have seldom, if ever, taken a redeye. I looked for two hours down at the passing cities, nearly half the flight. For some reason I didn’t get bored of looking at them. They were so bright against the Stygian² earth that held them but that was unseen. You only knew the earth was there. We descended at around 6:30 am. There were, consequently, many cars and trucks on the road. I laughed at how miniature they looked, like little claymation toys on an animator’s set. This last sight made me think of the insignificance of human activity, which seems so large. This was not a disturbing thought, though, but a relaxing one. Marijke’s thoughts on this: “maybe seeing the insignificance of humanity, rather than the fear of falling from the sky, is the real reason people are afraid of flying.” LessonOk, two lessons.
Do you have a cool memory of flying you want to share? If you click through to the website you can tell me in the comments. Thanks, Torben 1 “Being on both sides of a boundary or threshold”; this word makes me laugh because poets constantly title their books and poems ‘liminal’. Just google “liminal poetry book” and you’ll see what I mean. 2 “Very dark,” as in as dark as the River Styx, the moat of Hell in Greek Mythology. If you liked this post from Common Measure, why not share it? You can follow me Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and friend me on Facebook. |
Key phrases
Older messages
What is an "ars poetica"?
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Let's start with an example: this week's newsletter!
Time to get a watch ⌚️
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Your phone: a constant reminder of your unrequited love.
You Might Also Like
Blast That Stubborn Belly Fat With These 16 Exercises
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
View in Browser Men's Health SHOP MVP EXCLUSIVES SUBSCRIBE These Exercises Will Help You Blast Belly Fat These Exercises Will Help You Blast Belly Fat They're simple, but effective, and they
5 Situations You Should Be Using a Contract
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
17 Browser Shortcuts Everyone Should Know. There are a lot of scenarios in life when we should be using contracts to formalize our agreements, from getting a roommate to lending someone money o Not
‘My Boyfriend Still Shares a Bed With His Ex!’
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17 advice 'My Boyfriend
Blast Belly Fat With This Plan from Men's Health
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
This science-backed plan really works Men's Health shop logo The Ultimate Belly Fat Workout From Men's Health View in Browser Men's Health 28-Day Belly Fat Burner Get Rid of Your Gut for
Kim Kardashian's Snakeskin Bikini & Cowboy Hat Are Totally On-Trend
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Plus, Taylor Swift's $900 Gucci sneakers, the zodiac signs who don't believe in astrology, & more.
Herbs are the star of this Southeast Asian rice dish
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Inside LA's sugar-fueled fantasyland
"The grieving have only the unknown"
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
April 17, 2024 Arab American Heritage Month “An illuminating beauty informs his work; to him the idea becomes beautiful if it is true; the emotion becomes truth if it is real. He possesses a singular
This Needs Something
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Listen now (17 mins) | Umami ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
WIN $25,000 to design your own garden oasis!
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Dream Garden $25000 Sweepstakes
A Towering Achievement
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #158 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏