STARS
It’s very hard to imagine that there’s nothing beyond the universe
I can’t imagine nothing
What color would it be?
What is it like?
What does it feel like against your tongue?
Does it make you feel full after you eat it, or is it like air?
But air is something, and nothing is nothing
Or it’s like millions and millions of flies painted white
And inside the swarm of flies there are millions of white bees
The closest color to nothing would be clear
The closest smell would be the faintest trace of honey bee
The closest sound would be the faintest buzz
The closest taste would be rain
The closest touch would be air on my skin
All this—the stars and the universe and nothing—
makes me feel colorful and happy to move.
—from 2015 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Katherine Chritton: “I like writing poetry because it allows me to combine two of my interests, creative writing and thinking about nature.”