Ode to the Entire Universe

I scribbled this epic poem in my journal during a college astronomy class, February 21, 1985:

Ode to the Entire Universe

Universe! Oh! Universe!

Thou art so incredibly big

It boggelth the mind how huge you art

Quite frankly, I just can’t believe it.

Thou art that big.

—

Jupiter! Oh! Jupiter!

Thou art the most incredibly huge planet we know of

How I would love to walk on your surface

If I could only find your surface

Beneath all those gaseous clouds.

—

Quasars! Oh! Quasars!

So much more than a television brand name!

Thou art so far away from us

We haven’t found anything farther away

What are you, oh mighty quasars?

—

Asteroids! Oh! Asterioids!

Thou art truly the junk and trash of the universe.

Thousands of you

Floating around between Mars and Jupiter

I wish the cosmic trash collector would come

And sweep y’all away.

But he won’t

And someday one of you damned asteroids is

Going to break free from its orbit and smash into Earth

Causing chaos

In the Solar System.

—

Van Allen Belt! Oh! Van Allen Belt!

Filled with high energy ions.

Thou art so incredibly cosmic

I feel safe while you’re around.

—

Saturn! Oh! Saturn!

Thou have always been my favorite planet

Thou art a lot like Jupiter

But you have nicer rings!

~217~