THE FUTURE OF ASTROPOETRY
Although we considered the Astropoetry 2009 project to be finished,
the publication in Romanian
of the Children’s Astronomical Notebooks
of the Equinox contest and the Leonids literary circle,
compiled by the Planetarium and the Educators’ Association
from the Romanian town of Suceava,
convinced us to add a new original chapter.
The Equinox Annual Contest of Astronomy,
for children of primary school age,
was launched in 2003 by the head of the Suceava Planetarium,
a well-known local astronomer
and SARM member, Dimitrie Olenici.
Inspired by SARM’s activities for teen-agers and youth in this field,
but following an original route for children,
the Equinox contest from 2006, 2007 and 2009
also included sections for art work
and literary-astronomical creations,
recently published as
Astronomical Notebooks
and dedicated to the International Year of Astronomy 2009.
Here is a list with those who, along with Dimitrie Olenici, made possible
this genuine achievement:
Cezar Lesanu, Florica Pitu, Adriana Maria Nichitean, Lacramioara Clucerescu,
Vasile Burdusanu, Gabriela Penciuc, Simona Penciuc,
Nicoleta Mariana Schipor, Mariana Pavelescu, Nicolae Cirlan,
Angelica Gaitan, Cristina Tudose. Ioan Adam.
Together with them, more local teachers:
Corina Nastasi, Lucica Soiman, Pazuca Calistru, Maria Ursutu,
Luminita Holban, Corina Calinescu, Florin Nicolau, Elena Doina Popescu,
Estera Dumencu, Gabriela Mariana Nesteriuc, Mihaela Cost, Vasilica Popescu,
Tihon Tit, Elisabeta Dolcean, Elena Marcela Alexandru, Zenaida Ieremie,
Luminita Paula Dobrea, Maria Doina Leonte, Cristina Hincu,
Ofelia Mitrache, Loredana Tucaliuc, Claudia Sandru, Emilia Tehaniuc,
Angelica Belciug, Geta Baciu, Dorica Campean, Lucica Cosovan,
Nicoleta Coman, Laura Mihaela Cazacu, Pusa Nadia Dascalu, Lucia Florea,
Mihaela Gorban, Brandusa Ieremciuc, Carmen Hulubas, Elena Pastrav,
Mihaela Carmen Placinta, Raduta Teleaga, Maria Vaseleniuc,
S. Gherase, Ovidiu Puha.
SARM (Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy) took on
this initiative
to send this exceptional model
around the world in English.
The organizers of the Astropoetry 2009 project
(Andrei Dorian Gheorghe, Valentin Grigore and Florin Stancu)
would like to thank Ms. Arlene Carol (USA, residing in Turkey)
for her copy editing efforts.
Personally, since my mother, Steliana Gheorghe (1934-2009), was also
an educator of children,
I have been honoured to continue her work
by selecting, adapting and translating the children’s
incredible collection of astropoetry creations
from the Equinox-Suceava event,
which reveals a universe full of purity, imagination and amazing fantasy.
Actually they are the future of astropoetry.
-Andrei Dorian Gheorghe,
editor-coordinator of Astropoetry to the International Year of Astronomy 2009-
FROM ASTRONOMICAL NOTEBOOKS 2006
*
The beauty and the magic of the blue canopy
of the Suceava planetarium
that imitated the sky
amazed all of us.
From the east to the west,
the Sun traversed his own trajectory.
The zodiacal constellations
and other formations (Ursa Major, Ursa Minor)
were just a few things transposed for our curiosity.
The artificial night passed so quickly
that we couldn’t dream too much with open eyes,
but we remained with our thoughts
to thousands of bright stars
waiting to be searched by us,
the future astronomers.
-Loredana Budeanu (age 9, Suceava)-
*
At first I saw Earth, Sun, Moon…
Later I found out about
Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter,
the giants from the ether,
Mars, the red ball,
Pluto, the planet with much frost,
Mercury, the hottest relative of our Sun
who bathes fearlessly Terra.
-Alina Danciu (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Watching the starry sky,
I imagined a trip through the galaxy,
in which I studied planets, meteoroids, stars,
and I unveiled cosmic secrets.
But there are some questions:
“Do aliens exist around other stars?
“What do we know about them?’
“Is the Universe limited?
Or infinite?”
“Was the Earth created by God?”
“Can the Big Bang be confirmed?”
Soon there will be fewer hypotheses,
technology evolves.
-Romeo Rusu (age 12, Radauti)-
*
Every evening I go to my window
and watch the far sky full of little stars
lost in its greatness…
I watch the sky till I lose the details…
I smile to a star and the star disappears…
I enjoy the Sun and he sets…
I enjoy the beauty of the night and the daylight comes…
The secrets remain hidden,
but I look into the abyss of my soul
for an answer, an abstract explanation…
something to whisper why…
I look for answers and become disconsolate again…
I know that maybe I will never find them,
but the quest is like an adventure
that lightens my thoughts.
What are the stars?
If I would read an astronomy book
I would find that they are heavenly bodies
with their own light and own warmth,
but I do not want only scientific explanations,
I want the truth…
how could I find it?
What is the sense of the other planets
if there is not life on them?
If we are the single beings in the Universe,
why is it so large?
From an optimistic point of view
I can find answers, however…
Stars exist because they want to give rays of hope
and not to leave the night to cover us…
The Universe is so giant because he wants
to give infinite space for our thoughts…
We are so close to this Universe.
And my adventure will never end,
just as the universe will always be
wrapped by mysteries…
-Roxana Rusu (age 12, Radauti)-
*
There was a
merry, luminous and joyous family of stars.
One day the grandfather went to buy
a satellite for his grandchildren,
who wanted to project it in a black hole.
“Do not do it,” said the black hole,
“it hurts me.”
“We are sorry!”
In the meantime,
their father talked with a friend,
their mother prepared space potatoes,
their grandmother sewed a pullover
with the model of the planet Mars…
The daughter began to play
“space vortex,”
while the son began to build
a space rocket with the speed of light.
Their constellation is truly happy.
I wish you the same for your family!
-Tudor Alexandru Chibici (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The Moon is a natural satellite
and has strange scenery,
but I like her.
She is surrounded by stars
and that’s why she is named
“the bride among merry-makers”.
-Dorian Juliana Antoneac (age 10, Siminici)-
*
I’d like to be a star,
to live for millions of years,
to shine
and to inspire dreams to the people.
The stars hide so many mysteries!
The Sun is a star too
and our existence depends on it.
We need stars for their power,
for their beauty,
for their greatness.
The stars are so beautiful
that I’m sorry I watch them only a little,
in the beginning of the night,
and then I fall asleep with them in my mind.
-Maria Delia Irimia (age 9, Caransebes)-
*
I like to study the stars.
I’d like to get to them.
They are so beautiful!
In old times,
sailors navigated on the sea using the stars,
although sometimes they did not see them
because of dark clouds.
My favourite heavenly bodies
are the Sun and the Moon.
When I was younger,
I had a sun toy and a moon toy.
I know that basically
the Moon is just a satellite,
and the Sun, even if seems
the biggest star as seen from Earth,
it is in fact just a modest star.
There are many stories about them,
but I know games:
I am the Sun
and my twin sister is the Moon.
We run, one after the other,
around the table,
but we don’t catch one another.
Just like the Sun and the Moon
my sister must spin herself round,
and sometimes becomes dizzy,
so that I catch up with her,
making an eclipse.
I also play with my sister
seasons, equinox, solstice…
We are children,
and if we will not get to the stars,
then we will be stars on Earth.
-Ionut Alexandru Irimia (age 9, Caransebes)-
*
Two friends talked in space.
“Jupiter, you are the greatest planet.”
“Yes, Uranus, I am quite lucky.”
-Andreea Apetrei (age 9, Suceava)-
*
I got on a thought
and started to Mars,
a ruddy planet
with red clouds around her front.
Some yellow aliens live over there,
but they are harmless, even nice.
I started to Venus,
although an organization,
Forbidden Visits in the Solar System,
warned me that a giant ogre lives there.
I started to Saturn.
I think she has a secret admirer,
who gave her a big ring.
I started directly to Pluto,
my favourite planet,
although so cold and darkened.
I like it there because
I can watch the Universe silently.
There are no aliens on Pluto.
If they would be there,
they would float on ice cubes.
Some people say that after Pluto
there is another planet,
another girl among the planets,
a smaller one
named Sedna.
So come on, think,
let’s visit her.
But I am puzzled.
Why are the planets so scattered?
Did they argue?
-Daniel Lucian Nemes (age 9, Caransebes)-
*
A long time ago,
among thousands of stars and planets,
an object began to shine
thanks to a King named
Lunarkness.
-Monica Hojda (age 10, Siminicea)-
*
“If the dog Laika
could fly into space, then I can fly too”
I said when I saw a space rocket.
Inside, a voice informed me about all:
the planets closer to the Sun
(Mercury, Venus and Mars)
are smaller and composed of rock,
while the remote planets
(Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune)
are cold and giant,
composed of liquid gas and ice.
“Look, a star with a tail!” I shouted.
“In fact, it is a comet” said the Voice.
Yes, I had learned about it before at the school…
Suddenly, noises from thousands of asteroids
that make a curtain between Mars and Jupiter…
“The Universe is so big
and I am so small!”
I said finally.
-Lucian Neacsu (age 10, Siret)-
*
Last year my colleagues and I
participated in the Equinox Contest
in the town of Suceava.
We described the planets
Mars (nicknamed the Red Planet),
Terra (nicknamed the Blue Planet)
and Venus (nicknamed the Shepherd’s Star),
and our team was nicknamed
the Solar System.
-Georgeta Bulgariu (age 10, Siminicea)-
*
One night
my grandfather told me about the Universe.
With the naked eye
we can see the canopy of heaven
with the Great Chariot and the Little Chariot
among hundreds of stars
that dance slowly…
The brightest “star” is the planet Venus,
nicknamed the “Evening Star” or the “Morning Star”
celebrated as the goddess of beauty and love,
seen as an intermediary between the Moon and the Sun,
or considered the daughter of the Moon and the Sun,
but in fact representing a hostile place…
-Agnes Andrada Zus (age 9, Siret)-
*
Uranus and Neptune
cannot have children.
They are deprived of
love and warmth.
-Raluca Irimia (age 12, Radauti)-
*
The Solar System restaurant
is one of nine planet category and over there
Mars is a strawberry,
Neptune has a coattail of clouds
and a top hat of tornadoes,
and the Sun sneezes rains of rays.
-Anca Palaghiciuc (age 10, Suceava)-
*
At first sight
all the stars seems the same,
but they are different.
To sketch their portraits,
the astronomers study their light
through various methods
and so they persuade the stars
to speak.
-Fabian Ifrim (age 10, Corocaiesti)-
*
After the rain
the rainbow is so glad for the Sun’s victory
that he appears in colour,
delighting the people.
-Raluca Irimia (age 12, Radauti)-
*
The Sun and the Moon were candidates
for the office of the King of the Sky.
As the Moon got votes from hundreds of stars,
the Sun was angry
and made his own empire and called it Day;
the Moon was not sad,
but made another empire for herself and stars
called Night.
And thus,
today there are two rulers
for the two empires of the Sky.
-Emilia Tabara (age 9, Corocaesti)-
*
The planets went to the School of Light.
Their teacher was the Sun.
Jupiter and Saturn sat at the same desk
and were proud of their greatness.
In exchange, Mars stayed alone
because he broke a window with a satellite,
and now was red from shame.
They learnt about Venusis Meteoritus,
the King of Asteroisia
and many other things.
But they especially liked the breaks,
when Jupiter’s satellites played “poker-comet”,
Pluto made statues of ice
and Mercury melted them,
and the other planets played volleyball
with meteorites.
-Liviu Birsan (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Every morning when I look at the Sun
it seems I see a bright flower
and I imagine the planets
in a queue for warmth from its beams,
just like some cats near a stove.
And I want to find out more about planets,
take a book of astronomy,
read it
and understand that they are the sisters of the Sun,
and all of them constitute
an immense family.
I close the book and ask myself:
“When shall I go to the Cosmos?”
-Ana-Maria Antonesi (age 9, Bursuceni)-
*
Pluto is the farthest planet from the Sun.
Pluto is the smallest planet,
and has a satellite named Charon.
In Roman mythology,
Pluto was the god of the light from other world.
Pluto’s orbit is eccentric.
There are astronomers who say that
Pluto can be classified as an asteroid
or as a comet.
Pluto can be seen through a telescope for amateurs,
but it is not so simple!
-Alexandru Dumitras (age 10, Vulcan)-
*
There was a party of the planets.
Mars said:
“I’ll put on a red dress
embroidered with spots of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.”
The Sun said:
“Today I feel myself darkened
so I’ll use a face cream of hydrogen and helium.”
Jupiter said:
“I am very attractive.
I amaze the visitors with my magic storms.”
Then Jupiter sang with Saturn a rhythm of a tempest.
“You have a wonderful voice” said Saturn.
“I know, I practice on stormy staves.”
Near them, Venus said to Neptune:
“You look good.”
“Thank you,” replied Neptune,
“you are so warm.”
“You are a good dancer!”
said Uranus to Terra.
“I’ve practiced a lot” said Terra
“by listening to the music of the rivers…”
-Alexandra Viziteu (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Old people said that
when a man is born on Earth,
a star is born in the sky, too.
And when a man dies,
his star dies too,
but I’ve learned that the life of stars
depend on their quantities of hydrogen…
-Roberto Florentin Moldovam (age 9, Siret)-
*
People began to explore
the planets of the solar system,
looking for traces of life
and maybe having many other thoughts.
At first they went to Mars…
Hot with envy, Venus said:
“Why did they visit you?
You are cold and I am much warmer.
Why did they not visit me?”
Mars replied:
“I think they were interested
in my resources of water.
But my secrets are so deep!
Actually they have their own water,
but polluted it, destroying the Earth.
I’m afraid they will come back.
They are reasoning beings, but destructive.”
“I’m waiting for them too,” said Venus,
“with my hot fumes…”
“Anyway, take care of your secrets.
Goodbye, Venus.”
“Have a peaceful rotation, Mars.”
-Andreia Teclis (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Every evening I look out of my window
and admire the bright moon.
I smile and feel a breeze
caressing my cheek.
Then I know that Princess Luna
will watch over my sleep.
-Alexandra Dobinca (age 9, Siret)-
*
“Why do you not let the people
explore you, Venus?” asked Saturn
“It is a fine sensation.
It can tickle you.”
“I don’t like to be tricked,” said Venus,
“if they get closer, I burn them
with Venusian measles.”
“But you are the goddess of beauty and love,
so you should be more tolerant.”
“I am the goddess of beauty,
not the goddess of charity.
If people want to find more about me,
they have to take more risks.”
-Alexandra Roman (age 10, Suceava)-
*
The world that surrounds us is full of amazing things:
a sunset bathing the sky in a blaze of colours,
the canopy of heaven full of stars during nighttime,
forests with majestic trees
with crowns playing with beams of light,
mountains with snowbound peaks
sparkling under the sun,
the moonlight lowering to the Earth…
Generation after generation expressed
their astonishment and admiration for
the show in the starry sky,
where the stars seem to be
diamonds suspended in space…
For many centuries,
people thought that the Universe was composed of stars
visible with the naked eye,
but today strong telescopes show that many more stars exist,
and are organized into galaxies,
which are organized in clusters of galaxies
like a bunch of grapes.
And one of those galaxies is our Milky Way,
in which our small solar system
with the Sun and nine planets orbiting around in it,
represents another admirable form of organization.
The dimensions of the Universe are astounding.
The same about the order from it.
So we can conclude that the Universe is a miracle.
-Alexandru Buza (age 10, Deva)-
FROM ASTRONOMICAL NOTEBOOKS 2007
*
The Sun rotates,
the Evening Star shines,
the stars adorn the sky,
and all of them stun you…
-Victor Ovadiuc (age 10, Suceava)-
*
The Sun rises
in the great sky
included in a
puzzling Universe…
-Denisa Barba (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The mystery of the stars
hides in the canopy of heaven.
They are vividly coloured
around the Moon.
Give us, God,
clear skies full of stars,
for we are sinful,
but love what is beautiful.
-Madalina Gretcu (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Stars rule the Cosmos,
carrying joy,
light
and accomplishment.
-Cezar Tiganasu (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The night tiptoes
and the moon appears over roofs
as a candlestick for travellers
and a friend for stars.
Although the Moon can be big or small,
she always remains entirely
our friend.
-Roxana David (age 9, Suceava)-
*
My story world
consists of planets,
Sun, Moon and comets,
thousands of stars
as living beacons,
guarded by the Moon,
watched by the Sun.
-Andreea Apetrei (10, Suceava)-
*
Stars appear in the canopy of heaven,
the Evening Star shows its important brightness,
the Great Chariot and the Little Chariot shine far away,
and I watch with admiration the Milky Way.
The Moon appears too,
the Princess of the Night.
“Good evening everybody!”
she seems to say.
-Ligia Dobresenciuc (age 10, Suceava)-
*
The planet Mars,
the god of war,
red like the blood,
has two colonels,
Phobos and Deimos…
-Adelina Morosan (13 years, Granicesti)-
*
I dreamed I was a small asteroid
and travelled around the Sun.
My neighborhood of trip was the Earth
and his words saddened me:
“Little asteroid, I am old,
I don’t remember my age
and have problems of health.
I carry many beings
and give them food and shelter,
but some of them have ceased to respect me.
They have polluted me
and have rent my casing so much
that now I can hardly breathe and I cough,
provoking flood and fire, real disasters.
That’s why I beg you to write a message for earthlings
with the help of the clouds…”
When I woke up,
the clouds were dancing,
writing in the sky:
“Earthlings, love your house, the Earth,
and do not dig a joint tomb.
Spread joy,
stop pollution,
keep nature alive!”
-Iona Andra Diaconescu (age 10, Salcea)-
*
The Universe is starry,
so he is well-dressed,
like an emperor…
-Alexandru Muraru (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Pluto is the farthest planet in the solar system,
but I thought to visit it.
So I shouted,
looking to the murky Universe:
“Where are you, Pluto?”
After a while, from a far distance,
Pluto answered:
“Who is calling me?”
“I am Adriana and want to know you.”
“But I am an insignificant planet.”
“However, I am thinking that after 100 years
I shall visit you in a space rocket.”
“So be it.”
accepted Pluto.
-Adriana Bucurel (age 10, Suceava)-
*
We live in a great Universe,
Not known well enough by children.
There are many planets,
but the most important is the Earth.
I’d like for all planets to be friends with each other,
so bad things do not happen on Earth.
-Georgiana Iuriciuc (age 7, Siret)-
*
“Good morning, Moon.”
“Why do you think it is good, Earth?”
“For me it is always good
because I am always merry.
I am like a good man,
reconciled all around
with God and with cloudy skies.
But you are so pessimistic…”
“I think you are not too profound…”
“Look, Moon, I don’t like to offend,
I just carry with me
the entire human race
and I will be happy…”
And they continued to go on their roads,
naturally and discreetly…
-Alexandra Mihaela Nechita (age 10, Salcea)-
*
During the spring,
the Sun embraces nature
that makes us flourish.
In the palm of the spring,
nature opens her wings
and all becomes flight, buzz and song.
-Marius Ionut Ichim (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Hi.
I am the Sun, the King of the Sky.
I am a spoilt being
because around me there are planets,
young, pretty and chubby ladies
who dance gracefully.
I like all of them,
but my solar heart vibrates more for Terra,
the wonderful blue planet..
Her oceanic reflections sparkle
welcoming my beams.
She is the only planet who,
under the charm of my warmth,
gave birth to life.
To recompense me,
she always creates dream sceneries
specifically to the rustling of life.
With my fire eyes,
I see microscopic beings who make wonders:
they are people
who build, search, discover and invent
in an incredible effervescence.
Many people are tender,
with a warm soul (similar to my flame)
and one day
some words resounded from Terra to me:
“Sun, Sun,
travelling beam,
your smile makes us flourish
and every morning
your light calls us to life.
Great star,
your golden caress
keeps our planet always alive!”
-Alexandra Luca (age 10, Salcea)-
*
Playing with my friends,
we all were fascinated by the starry sky
and dreamed to travel to other planets.
One night
this dream became real:
we were cosmonauts in a space ship
and flew to unknown destinations,
admiring the stars.
We stopped on a planet with friendly beings,
similar to us,
but much more joyous.
We found out that we were on Mars,
the planet of joy, but…
“Wake up, Madalina,
it’s seven o’clock and you must go to the school.”
I heard my mother’s voice.
So
“Good morning again, planet Earth!”
-Madalina Cojocaru (age 10, Campulung Moldovenesc)-
*
Sun…
a word both simple and complicated.
What would we be without him?
Nothing!
He gives us warmth, light, health and joy.
All we want.
Daily, I am eager to see sunlight again.
Every day is a new beginning
and now I understand why my mother says
that I am her “Sun.”
Being the only child in my family,
everything turns around me
and every day the face of my mother
becomes brighter when she looks at me.
But just like the Sun,
who gives light and warmth for everybody,
I have my obligations too.
That’s why I like to say:
“I exist,
I am a child under the Sun!”
-George Cost (age 9, Siret)-
*
The Moon is like a heart of the night
taking care of so many small stars.
This night I feel as if I would be
free in the Universe,
like a star.
-Adriana Georgiana Hromei (age 10, Suceava)-
*
Beyond the terrestrial atmosphere
there is a different world,
full of mystery.
Nothing can outclass
the beauty of the Universe.
Without the Moon
people would not be so romantic.
So let’s dream of the stars!
-Alexandru Caba (age 9, Suceava)-
*
We can enjoy the wonderful way
through which the Creator made the Universe
and the fact that He sustains it,
giving us belief and certitude.
-Ionut Leontica (age 9, Corocaiesti)-
*
In the giant universe
there is a happy family,
composed of the Sun (father),
Selene (mother)
and Terra (child),
with eight cousins called planets.
The father is a star
who gives warmth to his wife and his child.
Selene surrounds her child with love,
orbiting around her,
while Terra surrounds her father,
orbiting around him.
Father, mother and child…
They will always remain the most united family,
full of love, understanding and all the good feelings
of the Universe.
-Elena Alina Dumitriu (age 10, Salcea)-
*
News about the European Union spread all over the universe,
so the nine planets of the solar system,
although members of the Milky Way galactic organization,
thought of a plan for improving their lives
(bored by turning round the Sun all the time)
and wanted to become special members in this superior association.
Mercury,
needing to temper his high temperatures,
wanted to become a leading member of the European Union,
to take “cold” decisions.
Venus
wanted a similar position,
but only because she wanted to be
in the centre of attention.
Terra,
the host of all the possible conflicts,
was not resolute yet.
Mars
wanted an honest role,
to shed his shaming colour red.
Jupiter,
being the biggest planet,
wanted to be the president.
Saturn
was ready to accept any job,
but in a large office
to include his rings
and his secretaries (satellites).
Uranus
did not accept anything,
but all the planets ignored him
because he was retrograde.
Neptune,
suffering from strong storms,
just wanted a quiet job.
Pluto
only wanted to be a messenger…
And now,
they are Europlanets,
waiting for major changes in their lives.
-Andreea Florentina Sorohan (age 9, Bursuceni-Corocaiesti)-
SPECIAL:
EXCERPTS FROM AN UNIVERSAL EPOPEE
-by Adelina Morosan (age 13, Granicesti)-
The creator makes an explosion,
matter in fire,
vortexes of gases and cosmic dust,
the universe expands,
is it the only one?,
is it the first?,
is it the last?….
its edges cannot be touched,
from small planets to hot stars…
Among so many galaxies
there is one, the Milky Way
amazing through its spirals,
it is gigantic and unbounded,
but too little in the Universe, however…
There are countless and splendid stars,
such as Sirius and Antares,
but the Sun is the most beautiful…
Each planet in the solar system
travels in its own orbit
and makes a pirouette
like a ballet dancer…
The Sun and the Moon
always in love,
but they are cursed,
never together, never forgotten…
Earth, the blue pearl,
is unique, giving life,
because the beauty of the Universe
must be admired…
FROM ASTRONOMICAL NOTEBOOKS 2009
*
You little star,
you shine so finely in the sky,
like clean gold in the night.
My blue star,
you are the most beautiful,
but what a pity,
you perish in the morning.
-Liviu Hanganu (age 10, Sighet)-
*
Sun,
you are unique,
you are luminous and warm us,
making our planet more beautiful.
And when the spring comes
and nature begins to bloom
I am happy.
-Bogdan Humeniuc (age 10, Sighet)-
*
Among thousands of golden stars
there is one, the Sun.
The planets are envious for his light,
and the Moon too,
but there is an exception,
a planet happy for the Sun’s warmth,
the Blue Planet,
Terra,
our planet!
-Diana Cozac (age 9, Siret)-
*
A comet, a little girl
with spangles on her dress,
is running in the sky,
proud like a mystery.
With earrings, with rings,
with transparent shawls,
with swords of light
shining in the clear night!
-Alexandra Stiubeianu (age 9, Siret)-
*
Beloved Earth,
you’ve got younger!
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
stay in space with Uranus and Neptune,
also Mercury the hot
and Pluto the icy spot.
-Andreea Coriciuc (age 9, Siret)-
*
Nine planets, nine spheres,
eight of them rotate and are austere,
some of them bathed in the Sun,
other ones in immortal darkness.
On them, there are not places for life,
excepting the Blue Planet,
our cosmic home,
and you don’t need
any training
to see that here on Earth
it’s raining.
-Jeesika Nicula (age 9, Siret)-
*
You Sun bring light,
you Moon come when
there is darkness and silence.
If beasts and flowers would talk,
they would say thank you
Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
Good night Moon!
Good morning Sun!
You two make a good team!
How could the children smile
if the Sun and the Moon
did not rise?
-Stefan Narcis Seniuc (age 9, Suceavaa)-
*
Terra, the most beautiful planet,
is like a house for us.
The Universe is like a garden,
sheltering places where
not even thought can go.
A man is born,
another man is dying,
but the Universe doesn’t disappear.
-Catalina Ionela Zuceac (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The beautiful constellations
are made of stars.
The Great Chariot and the Little Chariot
are made of bright stars.
-Cristian Toader Vacariu (age 9, Bogdanesti)-
*
Small and smiling stars
appeared in the sky,
but suddenly one of them fell down.
My mother told me
to send a burning wish
to the magic falling star
like to some kin
when the sky sang
like a violin.
-Teona Stavarachi (age 9, Suceava)-
*
My dear Earth,
I ask you in the evening:
how many planets do you want?
Please tell me how…
Venus Mars, Jupiter, Saturn…
It’s all I know for now!
-Alexandra Nastaca (age 9, Bogdanesti)-
*
She is bathed by stars,
the Moon of my dreams,
and sometimes is hidden by clouds,
the Moon beloved by everybody.
-Anamaria Dimitriu (age 9, Bogdanesti)-
*
Planets are talking,
they are turning round the Sun
like glow worms around a street lamp.
-Diana Elena Stredie, Siret-
*
The solar system’s planets
are different,
but nothing stops them
from being together in space.
-Oana Grosariu, Sighet-
*
In the night,
when the sky is clear,
I see you,
my dear star.
I’d like to tell you
how much I love you,
but I think you already know
that you are my friend.
-Olga Nastasi, Siret-
*
From thousands of stars
I would choose a little one
to hang it in my mother’s hair.
-Eduard Costiuc, Siret-
*
Oh Moon,
Full Moon, New Moon,
you show us other faces,
today a quarter,
tomorrow a half…
We like to watch you
surrounded by stars,
full of mysteries,
a goddess with a halo,
a muse for a picture.
-Ioana Pisau (age 9, Piatra Neamt)-
*
Sunspots do not appear casually.
They come to cry with pain
because of too much heat.
-Eamanuela Lacatus (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The rainbow is
a coloured bridge for angels,
or a park for clouds at play,
or a magic flag of the sky…
-Paul Taras (age 9, Siret)-
*
The sun is a golden ball
passed from day to night,
or a stellar peacock
fluffed in beams…
-Diana Gradinaru (age 9, Siret)-
*
Stars shine in the night,
thousands of phosphorescent bulbs,
but the most beautiful moment
is when the Moon opens herself like a water lily,
shining.
-Gabriela Lupu (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The Universe is agglomerated,
full of celestial personalities
who make the starry sky.
It is so hard to recognize them…
-Carmen Birca, (age14, Bunesti)-
*
The stars do not have the same color,
some of them are brighter,
younger or older,
they are always in the sky,
you see one, two,
the Moon likes a lot of them.
-Sebastian Cojocaru (age 9, Siret)-
*
Rivers of stars in the sky…
Even if they are
like Alcor or Mizar
in Ursa Major,
you cannot touch them
because they roll away
like some balls.
-Simona Mihailiuc (age 9, Siret)-
*
When I smile at the Moon,
she avoids me,
but a cold tear falls
like a leaf
on my window.
-Elena Marilena Goga (age 13, Calarasi)-
*
The Universe… a mystery,
you cannot elucidate its origins.
The Universe… unknown.
Why? When? How? Where?
You cannot answer.
The Universe… nothing certain.
Just the fact it exists.
The Universe… infinity.
Game of shadows and lights,
veils always hiding.
-Miruna Ioana Arama (age 15, Roman)-
*
Planets always dance
around Mr. Sun.
Are they not satiated
by so much light?
-Andreea Lavinia Bardan (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The Sun is a strong lad
and has an electric bow,
you feel his arrows
even in the darkness.
The Moon has a golden coat
and sometimes she is a quarter,
and at other times she is a plate.
All is matter
spread along and across,
but the Creator also left
a lot of anti-matter.
-Elena Marilena Goga (age 13, Calarasi)-
*
The parents of my colleague Madalina
work at the astronomical observatory.
One evening,
she took me with her to see our first lunar eclipse
through the lunette from over there.
Then, delighted, we went to sleep
in a special room in the observatory.
And I dreamt I flew with my mother towards the Moon
in a space shuttle,
dressed in silver costumes.
We stopped in an immense crater without life or vegetation,
and my mother said:
“Congratulations, Andreea,
you are the first child to step on the Moon!”
-Andreea Marta (age 9, Suceava)-
*
A falling star is a heavenly body or a space ship,
which has travelled for many years.
One night
I travelled in a space ship through the solar system,
and I visited the planets,
seeing people of fire on Mercury
and people of ice on Pluto.
As I said,
a falling star is a heavenly body or a space ship,
which has travelled for many years.
In that night,
the Universe smiled at me.
-Ioana Spac (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The Universe is still an enigma for scientists,
and when I shall be an adult
I’d like to study the mysteries of the Cosmos,
if not as a profession
at least as a hobby.
-Cristina Stasi (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Wherever I watched
I saw water clean like the sky.
I floated over it like a bird.
The sun was red like a ruby
that sent hot arrows to warm the water.
In the depth of the water
I saw smiling people
beautiful like in stories
and happy,
enjoying the wonder of their world.
Maybe that was the Planet of Happiness…
-Andrei Bujoreanu (age 10, Bunesti)-
*
One night
Jupiter thought to have a party
in the meadow of planets.
“Let’s arrange a few colored candies,”
proposed his friend Pluto,
but Jupiter replied:
“Better we spread a few falling stars.”
-Ionela Hutul (age 10, Siret)-
*
It was a nice spring day.
The Sun, planets and comets
wanted to have a good time.
So when they saw a little star,
they asked her:
“Little star,
would you like to come with us
to play football?”
-Elisabeta Sacrieriu (age 10, Siret)-
*
In the sky
the planets scolded each other:
who is the greatest,
who is the finest,
who is the strongest…
Only the Sun tried to calm them:
“Take it easy, girls,
all of you are important.”
-Ionut Badragan (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Two strong lights shine in the sky:
The Sun and Moon.
When one of them switches off,
the other switches on.
Whence do these lights come?
Who can tell me?
One night
I dreamt I was in the Universe
among the stars
and when I woke up,
two of the stars were the eyes of my mother.
We need someone to respond
to our questions.
-Daniele Gavrilet (age 9, Siret)-
*
It was a rain of
white, fluffy, falling stars
in the black silk of night.
I tried to speak with one of them
and she asked me to make a wish.
Next day
my parents enrolled me in a course of music and acting.
From then on
I believe in falling stars.
-Lavinia Ionela Visinari (age10, Suceava)-
*
I hear stories about Gagarin and Apollo missions
making me dream of flying to the Cosmos.
Knowing that the Great Chariot has seven stars,
I imagine myself among them.
I have a pleasant sensation,
although it was just a dream.
-Daniel Crihan (age 10, Suceava)-
*
When you see the stars in the sky,
they seem to be so small
that you are amazed you can see them
from such a distance.
The stars are the sky’s diamonds,
shine like silver
and are simple like water.
You see them, but you want more.
Did you ever think to fly towards the stars
and to steal one of them?
I’ve thought of it,
and although I don’t know how,
maybe someday I’ll have a star.
The stars put on a great show:
they seem to blink and to speak
and fall when they get tired.
-Paula Sanziana Scutelnicu (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Once
Saturn did not have his immense rings,
but was the wisest person in the Universe.
Many planets asked for his help,
and he responded to all questions.
“Let’s go to the Sage!”
said a fine conglomerate of ice and rock.
And from then on,
Saturn’s rings shined like coloured wonders for us,
but for him they are never-ending questions.
-Iulian Burlui (age 9, Suceava)-
*
In the daytime,
the Sun fascinates us with his warm beams
full of love.
In the night time,
we count the stars,
but always lose their number…
The sky is wonderful…
-Beatrice Maria Naida (Siret)-
*
Admiring the beauties of nature,
so many questions are born…
and we need science.
But maybe science increases uncertainty.
People find more
and talk about other unsuspected perspectives.
Or is this the infinite secret
of the Cosmos?
-Diana Barba (age 13, Moara)-
*
On a clear peaceful evening in May,
the mild wind spreads
the perfume of spring.
I watch the sky and see a star,
shining alone and proud
under the protective wing of the Moon.
How is it to be the first star
appearing in the sky
and lightening the hearts of the people?
How is it to shine in the night sky
like a clean tear on a child’s face?
Watched by the naked eye,
Venus, the second planet from the Sun,
is named folklorically ‘the evening star”,
but her fascinating brightness betrays
its planetary identity...
-Raluca Anica Ionescu (age 14, Gugesti-Vrancea)-
*
The Moon walks on roads gilded by stars
and wants to admire the golden hair of the Sun,
but he doesn’t want to waste time with her.
This is like real life:
today it is good, you are young and well,
tomorrow you are old and want to bring time back.
But you cannot recoup it!
-Emilia Gheorghita (age 9, Suceava)-
*
Pluto is so cold
because he is too far from the Sun
and his ice is his crying…
-Lavinia Ivan (age 9, Suceava)-
*
I’d like so much to speak with a star!
My grandparents told me
that a star falls when a man dies,
and I thought that when I’ll be an adult,
I’ll catch stars from their falls.
One summer evening, later,
I saw a rain of stars and caught one of them.
“Who are you?” I asked her.
“I am the soul of a grandmother
who loved very much her grandsons.”
Afterwards the little star disappeared
like a snowflake.
I don’t know if it was a dream or not.
But I know it is wonderful
to speak with a star.
-Daniel Crihan (age 10, Suceava)-
*
One day I imagined that
I was an astronaut floating in a space ship
among the stars of the Milky Way,
through the enigmatic world of the Universe,
a trip towards knowledge,
a trip lightening
my soul and my mind.
-Alexandra Trifan (age 14, Gugesti-Vrancea)-
*
For me,
the Sun is the god rising in the morning
and caressing me with his beams,
giving me warmth and light
and unforgettable sunsets.
I know that on Earth
we are protected by the atmosphere.
But I’d like to get closer to the Sun
and while reading about him
I feel already closer…
-Daniel Busuioc (age 14, Gugesti-Vrancea)-
*
In order to protect the Earth
from external attacks,
the people asked the children,
who have so clean souls,
to sing and to laugh close to seas and oceans.
The resonance of their crystalline voices
made by waves
was amplified by some special antennas…
-Cristi Andrei Tabara (age 9, Corocaesti)-
*
When I was reading about the Moon,
I had the sensation
that I was stepping
on the footprints of Neil Armstrong,
and I felt an immense joy…
-Catalina Dediu (age 14, Gugesti-Vrancea)-
*
The Planet Pluto was discovered in 1930.
For many years,
people thought that this small heavenly body
was the last planet in the solar system.
But recently astronomers discovered
new heavenly bodies beyond Pluto
and re-analyzed all their theories.
So at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union,
they decided that Pluto ceased to be a planet
and renamed it “the dwarf planet.”
And those who loved it said regretfully:
“Good night, planet Pluto!”
-Larisa Cojocariu (age 10, Suceava)-
*
One day I went to the Suceava Planetarium,
where I watched a movie about the solar system’s planets.
I was impressed by their beauty and diversity
and found out a lot of interesting information.
Although the planets (and their satellites)
shine in the light reflected from the Sun,
each of them is unique and full of mysteries,
just like the Universe.
I guarantee I shall go again
to the planetarium!
-Madalina Petronela Pizamosca-Hermeniuc (age 9, Suceava)-
*
From far away,
the Earth seems to be a blue bead
(it is a good sign,
the blue sends to water).
Closer to it,
you can see the green of the forests,
“the green gold.”
So people,
preserve the green of the planet,
enjoy the rustle of the leaves in the wind,
enjoy the glades and the forests.
All of them are gifts.
Love Terra,
which means life!
-Raluca Andreea Tanase (age 9, Mihoveni)-
*
Waiting for the dawn,
the stars melted slowly.
Suddenly the Morning Star appeared
as the master of dawn,
making the stars hide.
But he also saw
the fire of the day
and the lances of light,
the Sun’s greatness,
and in his turn
he disappeared too.
-Delia Polocoseru (age 9, Suceava)-
*
The night rules
in an eternal silence,
while the Moon watches me
through deep and mysterious eyes.
-Raluca Elena Dragomir (age 13, Calarasi)-
*
At the astronomical observatory
we watch the sky,
thousands of stars,
thousands of ideas,
so similar
and at the same time
so different.
I see them and don’t know them.
The Milky Way seems more luminous.
For whom?
-high school students from Dimitrie Leonida Technical College, Iasi-
*
Sun, Moon, Evening Star, Alcor
and the others
want more energy,
not to exhaust themselves
when they are at play.
-Monica Popescu (age 12, Drobeta Turnu Severin)-
*
Every time when a comet
traverses the canopy of heaven,
she seems to be a mother
looking for her sons.
-Bianca Caprariu (age 12, Drobeta Turnu Severin)-
*
There was a sunbeam
who thought she was the brightest.
“I am the most beautiful
and my shine is superb!”
she used to say.
Tired of her vanity,
other sunbeams replied:
“This is stupidity,
there are many other sunbeams stronger than you are…”
“I would say that you are rather pale…”
“In fact you become smaller and smaller…”
“I can understand”
insisted the haughty sunbeam
“that you are envious!”
“Anyway,
nobody on Earth sees the difference!”
replied the others.
-Claudia Salcianu (age 12, Drobeta Turnu Severin)-
*
We ask ourselves:
Why? How?
What is the Universe?
What are the stars?
Who are we?…
“It isn’t necessary to see a galaxy dying
just to discover something new”
says my grandmother.
-Ioana Alexandra Veizu (age 14, Calarasi)-
*
This evening I admire the starry sky.
I am thinking of the infinite Universe.
How did it appear?
I am dreaming…
A man is a minuscule particle
in the Great Universe.
The world in which we live,
with all that surrounds us
awaiting the farthest star,
represents the Universe.
But nobody will know
the last star.
-Claudia Grecu (age 12, Suceava) and Ioana Amaritii (age 17, Falticeni)-
*
Some nights before sleeping
I remember my grandfather.
And I smile
because I have many fine memories of him,
and I am sad
because I’d like to say this word again.
When my grandfather lived,
I used to stay with him on the porch
and admire the stars.
My grandfather always told me
stories about them,
which I remember now as a dear treasure.
He told me that each star shines
because it carries the love of a human being.
Stars are the people’s love for their peers.
Many times the people do not express their love
and this is the reason that God
created the luminous stars.
Watching them,
people should understand
how much love they can give…
In my turn,
I confessed my belief to my grandfather:
if people die, they become stars.
In fact
the stars are just like the people,
being born, living and dying.
And I am sure that now
my grandfather is a small, but bright star,
because he was a wonderful man
and loved very much the stars and the sky.
I still believe that some day
I shall meet him again
up there…
-Roxana Daniela Ganea (age 14, Calarasi)-
PORTRAIT: ANA MARIA ANGHEL
Finally, SARM decided to add the portrait of a remarkable Romanian talent,
born in Bucharest in 1999,
educated in international schools in Holland and Switzerland since 2006,
she writes poetry directly in English.
PEACE
Only the river is dripping down the hill.
As if everything else is quiet and still.
Mother Nature is giving us birth.
Like she’s slowly talking to earth.
The stars are shining so bright.
As if they are dancing, stealing my sight.
We should bring peace and harmony to us all.
For everyone big and small.
ONLY ONCE
Only once, only this time.
Can you tell me this lovely rhyme?
Only now, only here.
Can you tell me you have no fear?
Only this moment, only this night.
Can you hold on to me very tight?
Only this hour, only this day.
Can you stay with me and feel the cool breezes of May?
FREEDOM
The wind and the sun,
Meaning to have fun.
The mountains and the air,
Telling you to be fair.
The river and the lake,
Saying not to be fake.
The waves of the sea,
The best one there could be,
To always be free.
MOTHER NATURE IN THE MORNING
The wind gently blows.
The lovely flowers stand in rows.
The sun rises in the sky.
All animals wake up with a sigh.
Then here she comes quietly and slow,
Waking us up and saying “Hello,”
Mother Nature.
STAR
It’s a glowing key.
It’s running through the sky.
It’s as shiny as gold.
Wshhhh and sometimes falls.
Bright blinking STAR.
*
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