By Douglas J. Lanzo
Copyright 2020

Dedicated to my beloved astronomer neighbor, Tom

First published in WestWard Quarterly Winter 2020 Issue

His dome opens the heavens to their eyes,
As twilight deepens and planets rise,
He guides its telescope with precision,
Unveiling beauty by its vision;

He patiently plies intergalactic skies,
Unlocking mysteries that make men wise,
Charting celestial paths wrought in ancient day,
Orbs extinguished long ago, light-years away,

Capturing hews of glowing radiance and light,
From faint remnants of stars, nebulae of the night,
Clusters of dust, clumping, and molecular clouds,
Birthing solar systems from hydrogen shrouds;

He explains the life-cycle of planets and stars,
And formation of moons that orbit our Earth and Mars,
From asteroid collisions mammoth in size,
Hewing rock into orbits that transform our skies;

He is a jewel of a man and seer into time,
Who lifts up our spirits from image sublime:
Tom, our gracious astronomer neighbor next door,
Whom both my twin sons much admire and adore.