I am and always have been on the periphery
And every now and then I’m reminded that I’m ignored.
That I’m not the shining light people are drawn to
But the secondary thing that orbits it.
Just close enough to be obscured by something superior
Just close enough to feel the glow on my face
Not close enough to be enveloped into it.
Maybe it is a good thing
That my sense of self is of rock and not candlewax
That it doesn’t melt into People Who Seem More than me
Who are louder than me
I’m not a liquid metal,
Who drives people mad.
I’m not a lifeless rock
I’m so much more than that
I’m so much more than that
You can find this poem and many more space-themed pieces in my debut chapbook, Keep On Spinning. If you're interested in buying a copy, click here.
Originally published in Adjacent Pineapple (~2017/2018). Links lead to a dead end, so I've decided to archive it here. It was published alongside my two Maya Angelou centos, 'His' and 'Hers'. Thanks so much to Colin Herd for giving my poetry a platform in my early career, I'll be forever grateful.
https://www.adjacentpineapple.com/jen-hughes