Inverness poet David Bailey’s new collection, “Wonderstudies,” reminds me of Peter Barnes’s poetic science book, “A Symphony of Smithereens.” Both study the wonders of the universe in a similar way. Here’s Bailey’s opening gambit:
For a while, the stars were enough.
The first thought shone
almost blindingly
from the dark-bright galaxies.
But when the infinite mystery wished to know itself more
extravagantly, it blew out half the stars
like dandelions, swirling
in prismatic clouds…