Wide-Eyed Children
mother star beams as she beholds her errant brood
six diverse, rocky planets
the innermost, a dense, two-faced, frosty furnace
the outermost, pulverised
much interfered with by a jovial neighbour
a dust, angry red one
ragged, rift-valley scar, an enormous pimple
the atmosphere diminished
the bright but secretive one, clouds of deception
concealed runaway heating
........
the other two, calamitous and extraordinary
individual but fatally curious
they spiral close together
so wild and wayward, eager and elliptical
a deadly orbiting kiss
the smaller sibling is stunned, shattered and shaken
mass and momentum reduced
memory wiped, coalesced, captured and condemned
demoted, demented moon
gravity bound, bombarded, heavily cratered
transfixed, compelled to witness
........
magical mayhem convulsing the tidal companion
condensing from surface to core, dynamic orb
almost melting, transforming
a rhythmic magnetic field protecting, shielding
convection and subduction
radioactive warmth, magma, mantel and crust
moving land, oceans and ice
coriolis-driven storms and chemical soup
then strange organic matter
evolution, what's this? pin-prick lights, tickling feet
the moon has a grinning smile
........
from a mini-module, some wide-eyed children have come to play
canny creatures, evolved, programmed, launched to survive
trial and error beings
hopeful genes to be nurtured, cuddled, teased and taught
transcendent and emergent
complex beyond their parts, the planet's pinnacle
challenging older orders
the chains of certainty, imbecilic greatness
time-surfing on nature's wave
promoting intelligence, compassion and love
bathed in envious moonlight
........
for mother star knows that her wide-eyed children may leave one day
Copyright © Ian Love | Year Posted 2021
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