Pluto, a fly-by poem

 

On a day, one day
long ago,

but maybe not so long ago
as when God flung the confetti
of the Kuiper belt,

God created Pluto
and said – let there be ice volcanoes
and nitrogen and methane
and water,
a world of water,

and let there be moons —
Charron with its canyons
and a dark beauty spot
people will name Mordor,
little, little Nix,
and Hydra,
so bright and so reflective
it shines back
all the light it receives.

And then there was a Sabbath
and God rested,
rolling Pluto around
unique in the wide palm of creation,
but not caring much
whether it was a planet.

And the next day
God said –
may the debris that causes craters
miss my creature Pluto
so that it is smooth enough
for me to paint
the shape of a whale

oh, yes, and a heart!
so people
will come and fly-by the heart
of God’s love for galaxies,
and be reminded.

And God saw Pluto
and, indeed, Pluto was very good.