Upon Learning that Planets Make Sounds

Summary

The poem "Upon Learning that Planets Make Sounds" reflects on Earth's noisy, intrusive presence in the cosmos compared to the serene sounds of other planets, suggesting that our planet's cacophony might be why extraterrestrial life avoids us.

Abstract

The poem presents a stark contrast between Earth's loud and polluting nature, exemplified by our incessant communication attempts and space debris, and the tranquil sounds of other planets, likened to humming or ocean waves. It posits that Earth's noise, akin to TV static, shouting, and constant demands, could be why extraterrestrials, should they exist, choose to steer clear of us. The author implies that our planet's self-centered and pollutive behavior is analogous to a troublesome neighborhood in the universe, and that if Earth and its inhabitants were to quiet down and clean up our act, we might be redeemed in the eyes of the cosmos.

Opinions

Earth's noise pollution, including our digital and verbal communications, is seen as an annoyance, not just to humans but potentially to extraterrestrial beings.
The poem suggests that other planets emit more natural and pleasant sounds, contrasting sharply with Earth's artificial noise.
There is a belief expressed that Earth's loud and polluted state is a reason for the lack of contact with alien life.
The author implies that humans are egocentric and that our pollution is a detriment to our standing in the universe.
The poem conveys a hope that if humanity were to become quieter and more environmentally conscious, Earth could be seen in a more positive light by the universe and possibly by extraterrestrial life.

A Poem

The earth is loud. Those of us here well, we already knew that.

It’s loud down here too, we take up space and send twitter feeds to Mars, they come back rejected

nobody wants that, alien or human, we are annoying. The other planets make sounds like humming or ocean waves —

we make sounds like TV, like shouting, like phone calls, like demands constant, babbling, constant, chatter, constant booming of this and that,

the space in between planets is cold and quiet, I assume, full of stars and space junk from earth that we sent up, keep sending up, keep blowing up

and then we wonder why we don’t hear back from the ET, we wonder if we are alone in the universe, if we are the only ones —

and all I can think is that they are tired of us they hear us when they drive by, they hear us like it or not,

they have no interest in babysitting, no interest in starting a relationship with a planet that is all ego and hubris,

they might use us as a reluctant rest stop now and again, but the take off as fast as they can

covering their ears eyes mouth and nose, however many they might have, from all of the pollution that is us, that is what humans produce

that is almost what we are and might be seen as to the universe, a pity, a trouble, a bad part of town

if only we could be quiet for a bit, if only we could clean up our act,

earth and our earthling selves might stand a chance at being saved being seen, being universally redeemed.

Jenny Justice is a poet mom who longs to bring poetry to life in ways that spark empathy, connection, joy, and feeling. She loves writing love poems, climate change awareness poems, poems for kids, and of course, poems about poetry and poets. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer. You can support her on Patreon. You can follow her poetry at Justice Poetic.

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