When my time has come And helium Weighs down on my exhausted core, Spent from shedding light Through the endless night Until the fuel could last no more,
Let my light not fade Nor my mass degrade, Into a dwarf-star, cold and dim; Nor may I collapse To a hole that traps All mass, all light to cross its rim.
No! Let my demise Light up the skies In awesome supernova burst, My last energy Exploding free To fly among the stars, dispersed;
And to leave behind A wondrous sign, A vast galactic cloud that beams Opalescent hues Of bright aqua blues, Magentas, reds in wisps and streams.
Untold worlds shall know When they glimpse the glow Of that ethereal monument That a star once shone That, though now long-gone, Forever decks the firmament.
Adam Sedia (b. 1984) lives in his native Indiana, where he practices as a civil and appellate litigation attorney. His poems have appeared in print and online publications, and he has published two volumes of poetry: The Spring's Autumn (2013) and Inquietude (2016). He also composes music, which may be heard on his YouTube channel. He lives with his wife, Ivana, their son and daughter.