Star Studded Night
Myriad stars like tiny jewels greet me
as I set up my telescope
a new moon was the current
Lunar cycle, no light to interfere
Ophiuchus the Serpentine constellation
Slithers across the sky trailing
Phosphorous dust in its wake
I train my scope on the pinwheel shaped
Andromeda constellation its spiral arms
reaching far out to space
the Helix Nebula comes into view
its brilliant colors from a shrinking star
a Cascade of meteors from the Perseid shower
cap off my night with a glorious display
streaking across the dark sky.
We stay up late to watch the Perseid meteor shower,
late for us now being after 9.
We end up moving our individual lawn chairs to separate parts
of the front lawn,
apparently more interested in our individual views of the heavens
than our proximity as a couple.
We see no meteors
as we watch the stars begin to appear,
but three satellites pass overhead
in less than a minute,
and this makes me feel some wonder
at what humanity has accomplished.
You then go inside
as I start to doze
and return with word that the internet astronomers
have pronounced 4am as the prime viewing time.
So off we go to bed and sleep.
At 4 I wake,
bundle up in an old bathrobe,
and head out into the star covered yard.
Eventually you follow
and we watch as several meteors shower past in as many minutes.
Content that we have seen it,
although definitely less impressed than we remember,
we head back to bed
and sleep.
(for Carol - 8/13/23)
comet Swift-Tuttle
Perseid meteor show
shooting star wishes
Brilliant trails of light
Across a darkened sky
Fireworks in slow motion
A cosmic fourth of July
Scattered bursts of rubble
A dandelion in the wind
Extinguished in moments
Flash of light rescinds
Now I make a wish
As clouds obstruct my view
Will I get good fortune
Or only deja vu
In God's great and vast universe
Comes the meteor showers of Perseid
Mythical hero who takes the stars for a ride
As to Earth they hurl to collide
Celestial diamonds zooming by
across the vast ethereal sky
The heavenly fireworks were an awesome sight
As people watched with great delight
Making wishes as they fall
Hoping they come true that's all
And if they did, of course you knew
Upon a star your wish came true
Early morning hour
scanning Perseid showers,
under silent stars
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