Space Sailor
I circle planetsswim nebula seas
navigate plasma cloud storms.
A tethered crew member,
I collect extraterrestrial samples
repair ship hulls, inspect satellite stations,
play cards, weightless, in the cabin.
Drink instant coffee and worry
life won’t be different upon reentry.
Debris left behind –
school shootings, skewed voting laws,
lost reproductive rights –
most likely still the shrapnel
of our own making.
The gravity of self-seeking
blinds us.
Blue stars tear up
because they can see
we are in the crosshairs
of an AR-15’s rifle scope
and may not even make it
across the street safely.
Karen Pierce Gonzalez reads Space Sailor:
Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s collections include True North (Origami Poems Project 2022), Coyote in the Basket of My Ribs (Kelsay Books 2023), and Down River with Li Po (Black Cat Poetry Press 2024). An award-winning writer, her poetry, fiction, and non-fiction have appeared in numerous local, national, and international publications, podcasts, and radio shows. Several of her short plays have been performed on local fringe festival stages.
She is a former journalist (San Francisco Chronicle, etc), and, as a folklorist, she has facilitated family folktale workshops and was a folklore columnist.
A featured National Arts Program artist, her 3D assemblage art follows the grains of tree bark, the threads of textiles, and the waters of color. Her work has shown in several west coast galleries and has appeared on covers as well as inside several literary magazines. Website: karenpiercegonzalez.blogspot.com
IceFloe Press 