Poem: The Letter U: Roll Up the Universe

The Letter U: Roll Up the Universe

Once upon a time—
untold fairy tales
uncovered at last
unbelievable but true.

Roll up the universe—
put it under your arms
Upanishads rishis
declared for us to do.

Ugly duckling becomes swan,
Unresting wave is calm water,
Cocoon unveils butterfly,
Soul is unborn, undying.

After blinding Cyclops,
Ulysses sailed in seas
uncharted and stormy
unleashed by Neptune.

Ultraviolet rays kill germs,
Ultramarine not in rainbow,
Ultrasound shows it's a boy,
Ultraman lost to Superman.

U-2 spy plane shot down,
U-boat sank big freighter,
U-Haul used for moving,
UPS delivered on time.

No Utrillo paintings
at the Uffizi Gallery,
but Paolo Uccello's
artworks are found there.

Unicorn uplifts us
to new heights beyond
Cloud of Unknowing
to uppermost heaven.

Ursa Minor to Pole Star—
Unbound Prometheus guides
us upward to Unmoved Mover
with wisdom & understanding.

— Peter Y. Chou
Mountain View, 9-29-2020