Comet or Meteor?

jpf-goodman Poems

Comets or meteors? Perhaps they're like rooks and crows “Where there's a rook there's a crow “Where there's crows there's rooks” To be one amongst a shower, a storm of meteors Hurtling through the emptiness of infinity Protected by the confidence of knowing That we and our equally frenzied fellow travellers However far we hurl ourselves Flashing by through all the vastness Looking tiny and bright like a fireside's sparks Consumed in a stampede, burning up and soon to be lost Are in fact racing along a familiar orbit That could last as long as a million years Which all too soon will pull us back to where we've been A familiar sight, overlooking what we've already seen Or to be a lonely meteor Deserting the pack, distracted by some new attraction Sampling a novel atmosphere, hardly aware Of the flames gathering round Till the grip that was a comfort That was such a pleasure to be caught by Loses its interest or changes its intent Returning the wanderer to the emptiness Or turning a journey of exploration Into a pitiful conflagration With a final pathetic fall Messy and destructive to all That witness the meaningless call Of that misguided journey's concluding bump Well, I don't know if this is good science And hope not to be subject to such violence Shooting stars may enjoy applause from those below But I'll see it all from here, and adore the moon's glow.