Dark Matter

PoemDark MatterA poemBy Maya C. PopaSynchrodogs / Connected ArchivesJune 28, 2026, 12 PM ET ShareSave No one knows what it is. No one you’d count on knowing has a clue, which is true mystery, not obfuscation, a question contending with the topsoil of time.Desire’s what’s the matter with our lives, a sea parting to reveal another sea. Its command renews, swells and beckons: You’d be a fool not to love until the last second.About the AuthorMaya C. PopaMaya C. Popa is the author of three poetry collections: If You Love That Lady, Wound Is the Origin of Wonder, and American Faith, winner of the North American Poetry Book Award. Popa is the poetry-reviews editor of Publishers Weekly.

Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Atlantic.