Gazing into the mysteries of the galaxy with poet Sharon Hashimoto

Each day during the month of April, KUOW is highlighting the work of Seattle-based poets for National Poetry Month. In this series curated by Seattle Civic Poet and Ten Thousand Things host Shin Yu Pai, you'll find a selection of poems for the mind, heart, senses, and soul.

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haron Hashimoto's poem "Theodor Jackson Observatory" shines the light on a beloved local observatory that keeps track of astronomical time and educates the general public on astronomy.

Sharon Hashimoto's first book of poetry, "The Crane Wife," was co-winner of the 2003 Nicholas Roerich Prize by Story Line Press and reprinted by Red Hen Press in 2021. Her second collection, "More American," won the 2021 Off the Grid Poetry Prize and the 2022 Washington State Book Award in Poetry. Her collection of short stories, "Stealing Home," is forthcoming from Grid Books.

Published previously in More American (Grid Press, 2022). This poem first appeared in "The Same," Winter/Spring 2014.