Because most stars were born more than six billion
years ago, the average color of the universe has changed
since that bluer period when there were more young stars.
—The Cosmic Spectrum and the Color of the Universe
So the universe is not blue
after all, not even green
but beige because the stars are
older than we thought. But is it
sad, even sadder than
we knew? Describe the sound
of doves — is it coo, coo
coo or who who who? The French
would say it’s rue rue rue
and in Italy it would be summer,
morning, already brocade,
Cecilia Bartoli gargling. And the throats
of doves, are they beautiful
or true in their blue and pink
embroidery? Young stars burn
hot and blue but those near death
are red. Did your father believe
in God? and the deer leaped
so high above the road I believed
it had been hit by a car. Dear falling
note, intention, dear
no more, dear rain,
give it up. What remains and need
not be mentioned we’ll call
what have you, musica ficta: not
what’s written down but what’s
been played. What if
you paused for a minuet
instead of a minute? The dark
might sky, the blue might
star, the always
could open, the close
might earth. The doves
are just around
the corner, like a train
before it turns into
view. Miles Davis was
right: there will be fewer
chords but infinite possibilities
as to what to do with them. The doves
are coming, true,
true true.
From: http://www.versedaily.org/kindofblue.shtml
Date: 2004
By: Angie Estes (1950- )