Friday, December 05, 2008
Heavenly Messengers (poem)
Heavenly Messengers
For eons we have watched them,
circling or still,
lit or swathed in their
elusive veils.
Some saw in them
figures of ancient myth,
others portents of things to come,
or else omens
of when to plant,
when to beget the child.
Their streaming rays
plunged some into dream trance,
drove others into
poetry or song.
We measured their height
and distances,
recorded their erratic rounds,
even sent emissaries
to discover what they
were made of,
what they had once been.
But they never responded,
gave us no signal
or sign
that they knew we were there.
We have yet to unravel
the enduring puzzle,
enigmatic scheme,
continuing witnesses
to the mystery
which never speaks back.
Dorothy Walters
continuing witnesses
to the mystery
which never speaks back.
Dorothy Walters
November 17, 2008
(Image from Hubblesite.org-- by D. Gouliermis, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg)
