a sky with two moons by Suzanne Simons

–Lee Herrick, California Poet Laureate

Inspired by astronomical events, Suzanne Simons elevates everyday experiences. A new moon evokes a peaceful starlit paddle. Rare spectra recall precious voices. Passion for nature spills over to lovers. Acts of observing become holy, while feet stay grounded in the kitchen. Stillness swells hearts, and skies expand minds.

Reason and wonder complement each other in Simons’ poems. Written with simple elegance, with awe, and with respect for science, Simons echoes Pattiann Rogers’ grace. Enjoy.

–E.J. Zita, physicist, researched widely and is faculty emerita at The Evergreen State College, where she taught astronomy and cosmologies.

Suzanne Simons looks outward through the lens of scientific discovery to turn us back to Earth’s joys. “We see only about two percent of what’s going on,” she reminds us, but that sliver contains wonders: exoplanets and geraniums, love late in life, Mercury’s magnetic field, a feasting goldfinch. In Simons’ poems, the quantifiable universe calls us to faith in the mystery all around.

–Julie Swarstad Johnson, co-editor, Beyond Earth’s Edge: The Poetry of Spaceflight

“Any self-proclaimed romantic considers the relationship between the cosmos and life’s small moments…Yet Suzanne’s collection of science poems takes us through a sweet and highly specific journey of large cosmic events and the people witnessing them. Turns out John Glenn’s return to space and Pluto’s first moon are just as much about love and commitment as physics. It was an education that made me blush. a sky with two moons is a magical school bus ride through the heart.

–Sady Sparks, Poet Laureate of Olympia, Washington 2019 – 2020