Solar System Poems 30: Consider A Face

The gods and demi-gods of yore now circle up above,

decamping Olympus or Valhalla for inky space.

So when we hear their name and consider a face

it is crater-scarred and battered; science is what we think of

and we imagine touching them only with protective gloves.

Ceres, Oberon, Callisto now evoke a place

not a personality now gone that cannot be replaced

not a personality now gone that we have known and loved.

The gods and demi-gods of today, though numbered higher,

have given objects the honor of their name.

And thinking of them, as we often do

evokes not a rock devoid of living fire

but a loving, caring human worth their fame

like we will always remember Betty and Sue.