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The Heart of Herakles

by Intrinsic Heart
August 13, 2026
in Poetry & More, Kenneth Rexroth

The Heart of Herakles

Lying under the stars,

In the summer night,

Late, while the autumn

Constellations climb the sky,

As the Cluster of Hercules

Falls down the west

I put the telescope by

and watch Deneb

Move towards the zenith.

My body is asleep. Only

My eyes and brain are awake.

The stars stand around me

Like gold eyes, I can no longer

Tell where I begin and leave off.

The faint breeze in the dark pines,

And the invisible grass,

The tipping earth, the swarming stars

Have an eye that sees itself.

– Kenneth Rexroth –

From The Collected Shorter Poems of Kenneth Rexroth
Photo: Deneb, the brightest star in the night sky,
photo courtesy of Star-Registration.com 

~~~~~~~~~~~

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