The Sound of Poetry: Hear ‘The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium’ by Sonia Chandra

Vinny Varsalona

vv3n@virginia.edu

The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium
floats, admiring her domain.

She gestures:
see here!

Dewdrop galaxies, starbirth nebulae,
over there the dense dwarfs (hot diamond at

their core), the yellow and red giants, burgeoning supernovae.

The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium
sings, voice molten glass.

She resonates
in the same timbre as starsong; her voice

reverberating deep in the oscillating strings,
woven into leptons, photons, bosons--

The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium
listens, hears each murmur of the crowd.

The hip-slung babes pulling on earrings,
sunwearied tourists seeking refuge under plastic

stars,
and the parents dragged by chatterboxing children.

The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium
sees this last group and quiets them.

Places moons in their eyes and
hums:

"Yes,
linger here.

You're home."

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The Sound of Poetry: Hear ‘The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium’ by Sonia Chandra

Vinny Varsalona

vv3n@virginia.edu

Sonia Chandra, a fourth-year student who double-majored in poetry writing and biology, reads her poem, “The Queen of the Hayden Planetarium,” to mark the 20th graduating class of UVA’s Area Program in Poetry Writing.

Published: May 19, 2022

Topic: Arts & Culture

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