Dead Stars

“Dead Stars” finds Limón contemplating humanity's treatment of the natural world, encouraging readers to adopt a mindset focused on cohesion and empathy. Limón has regularly stated (see interviews in Further Reading & Resources) that while growing up in California, she was instilled with an appreciation for nature from a young age. With its vivid depictions of natural and celestial forces, Limón’s admiration of nature is apparent. Additionally, Limón makes sure to place people within nature, rather than separating the natural and developed worlds. The sixth stanza, for example, reminds the reader that people are made up of particles from stars. By looking inward and focusing on the connective tissue that unifies human beings with the rest of existence, Limón believes people can lead the way to a future respectful of all living things. Her lifelong respect for the earth and nature is represented in “Dead Stars,” and she creates an honest poem, steadfast in its call to take care of the world.

The poem also emphasizes the intense connection between life and death. Living people are the byproducts of dead stars; the death of one thing prompts the life of another.