Look Up

Isabelle Gross

for E.R.

“Right now!”

“Not yesterday!”

my friend shouts at her phone,

peering over the lit portal,

she attempts to identify the tiny planet in the sky above.

In high school, I learned of the stars,

planets, constellations, 

named by ancient pagans and modern scientists,

commemorating gods and men; 

but I cannot remember it all–

not to worry, my friend has the universe of facts 

at her fingertips, shining brightly.

Yet right now, convicted, I shout:

“Right now, right here, look up!”

“See, look at the stars!”

In high school, an advanced math student told me,

some infinities are bigger than others.

Isabelle Gross is a sophomore Theology major with a minor in Education. When she’s not busy studying, she can be found hanging out in Geisel library or talking about philosophy, religion, or literature around campus with anyone willing to listen. As you might have guessed from her Conversatio essay, she loves old books, hot tea, and long conversations. She especially loves reading the Scriptures and the writings of St. Augustine, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josef Pieper, and Arnold Lobel. A native of Vermont, she also enjoys long walks with her dog and snowboarding.