NASA has recorded the interactions of electromagnetic particles from solar wind, ionosphere, and planetary magnetosphere, and translated these vibrations into sound waves.
Lie on your back
on the front porch,
look up at the sky,
at the white gutter,
up at the wooden ceiling,
the hanging pots heavy
with ferns. Look up
at the cumulus clouds,
their flat undersides
and cotton-ball tops.
Look at the air
above your house,
picture the multitudes
of electromagnetic waves
wiggling their ways above you
from radios and microwaves,
cellphone towers and stereos.
Consider the infrared light
warming the pavement,
the neighbor’s sleeping dog;
the visible light of the sun,
streetlights at dusk;
the ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma
waves flashing across galaxies.
Lie on your back and tell me
you feel them, their buzzing
and whirling, their constant
motion. Tell me. Tell.
-Alexandra McIntosh
Alexandra McIntosh lives and writes in Kentucky, her favorite place in the world. She received her B.A. in Recreation with an Emphasis in Adventure Leadership from Asbury University, and is currently working on her M.A. in English from Northern Kentucky University, and her MFA in Poetry from Miami University. You can find photos of her poodle named Grizzly Bear on Instagram @the_real_alexmac