Henry India Holden’s Poetry

Now All the Objects Shine

A poem honoring the sacred web of life

The globular cluster, NGC 6752, lying 13,000 light-years distant, is over 10 billion years old and one of the most ancient collections of stars known. Up to 38 percent of the stars within its core region are binary systems. (ESA/Hubble image, Nasa.)

You are that star
not because it outshines dimmer spheres —
and in so doing, earns a special place in the
celestial hierarchies —
but because it emits a constant
and enduring light
making visible the heavenly bodies
that spin on miraculous orbits
through consummate space.
Now all…