
Dark Impactor
Ben Gunsberg
Ben Gunsberg is an Associate Professor of English at Utah State University. His poems appear in numerous literary magazines, including DIAGRAM, Tupelo Quarterly, and The South Carolina Review. He is the author of two poetry collections, Rhapsodies with Portraits and Welcome, Dangerous Life.
Under normal conditions our solar
system binds, but a string of holes
suggests dense shells pierced
the Milky Way. Light refuses to mark
〇
these scars so new to telescopes
and physicists. They haven’t yet
been named by lyricists nor
compared to wailing mouths.
〇
One reminds me of a wreath
where buds refuse to grow. Life
refuses to swell like steam from
its warm bowl. A seam between
〇
each hole reminds me of caution
tape, like the hem of a dress
extracted from glass (I cannot
describe the aftermath). What happens
〇
when bodies collide in space? How
few hide in a narrow hallway?
How many in a closet? If “A” lies
outside and “B” lies on the floor,
〇
how many targets? The answer
key waits on the final page,
where we learn what happens
to our young, our heavens.
