The Blaze of the Universe

The Blaze of the Universe

written by: Jude Neale

Did Mozart know
he was writing music
that would put
my babies to sleep?

Did he see the light
glaze pass over
their faces as they heard
the soft tinkle of bells,

hidden in twinkle twinkle
little star? Me humming,
soft as down, this refrain
over and over. They suckled,

bluest of blue eyes,
closing with each breath.
I chanted the ending:
How I wonder what you are.

I could feel the peace swelling
In the room, violins and piano:
And you Amadeus, jubilant,
playing complex patterns

And ellipses, knowing
this was the last dance.
You played for royalty,
and for all the sleepless

children to come. They laid
stilled in their mother’s arms.
They didn’t cry, but dreamed
of the holy blaze of the universe.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

I was an opera singer who trained in London England. Part of my training involved studying Mozart. It was there I found out about Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and its many variations.

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Jude Neale

Jude Neale has written twelve collections of poetry, and is an opera singer, mentor, educator, workshop organizer and facilitator, mother, grandmother, and wife. She first published when she was eight, winning a youth competition on travel for the CBC, and has been writing professionally since 2006. Her book, A Quiet Coming of Light, was a finalist for the League of Canadian Poets Pat Lowther Award and her manuscript, Splendid in its Silence, won publication in the UK. Jude’s poem, Blue Bowl, was finalist for the prestigious Irish Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Award, and her poem, Emptiness in the Garden, was chosen by Britain’s Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, to ride the buses in the Channel Islands for a year. Jude frequently collaborates with artists from many disciplines, bringing her command and sensitivity of language to their communal creations.

Latest posts by Jude Neale (see all)

• The Blaze of the Universe - May 22, 2024
• Winter Solstice - February 17, 2024