Poem by Alice Major
Subsurface Ocean May Be Hiding Beneath Pluto’s Heart
Tiny planet, largest heart—a huge bloom incised on Pluto’s
pinkish skin. The heart is a crater, a cardiac whack from an
accidental asteroid on its selfish passage. Afterward the crater
filled slowly with nitrogen ice, piling in, packing in—a
massive plaster on the cracked crust. The wound’s
accumulated weight kept tugging until she swivelled on her
slippery core—that liquid interior that keeps her round and
tender—to face a big, demanding moon.
gravitational habit
keeps her heart attracted
to this kind of man
Art Information
- “Himalayas (2)” © Janel Houton; used by permission.
Alice Major's 11th poetry collection Welcome to the Anthropocene follows her award-winning book of essays, Intersecting Sets: A Poet Looks at Science. Like Shelley, she turns to math and science "to replenish my store of metaphor.” She has presented at math-art conferences and her work has appeared not only in numerous literary journals but also in journals like Math Horizons. Alice served as the first poet laureate of her home city, Edmonton, Alberta.
For more information, visit Alice Major's website.
