The Imaginal Stage

The Imaginal Stage
By D. A. Powell

turns out
there are more planets than stars
more places to land
than to be burned

I have always been in love with
last chances especially
now that they really do
seem like last chances

the trill of it all upending
what’s left of my head
after we explode

are you ready to ascend
in the morning I will take you
on the wing

About the Poem

D. A. Powell’s The Imaginal Stage is a brief poem that manages to feel both intimate and cosmic. It begins by overturning expectations. We often think of the universe as a place of danger and destruction, yet Powell suggests that there are “more places to land / than to be burned.” The image offers a surprising sense of hope. Even in a vast and uncertain universe, possibilities for survival and renewal outnumber the opportunities for ruin.

The poem then shifts to the idea of “last chances.” As we grow older, we become more aware that opportunities are not endless. Relationships, adventures, and moments of transformation can begin to feel precious because we recognize that they may not come again. Yet Powell does not treat this awareness with despair. Instead, there is excitement in it—the “trill of it all”—a recognition that life remains capable of surprising us even after we have been shaken or changed by experience.

The final lines move toward transcendence. The invitation, “are you ready to ascend,” feels both personal and universal. Whether the ascent is spiritual, emotional, or imaginative, it suggests movement beyond fear and limitation. Morning arrives, bringing with it the possibility of flight. The poem ends not with certainty but with invitation.

What I find most compelling about The Imaginal Stage is its insistence that possibility remains. Even after disappointment, even when we believe we have reached the end of our opportunities, there may still be more places to land than to be burned.

About the Poet

D. A. Powell is an American poet known for his inventive language, emotional depth, and exploration of themes including love, mortality, memory, desire, and the AIDS epidemic. Born in Georgia and raised in California, Powell has become one of the most influential voices in contemporary American poetry.

His collections include Tea, Lunch, Cocktails, Useless Landscape, or A Guide for Boys, and Repast. His work often blends the personal and the mythic, moving effortlessly between everyday experience and larger questions of identity, beauty, and transcendence. Powell’s poetry rewards repeated reading, offering new meanings and possibilities with each return.