Guide Star: A Poem

A poem by Kenny Shen
“Three…two…one…
Laser’s on!”
A switch is thrown, and
A blinding beam screams from the telescope,
Piercing the tranquil night sky.
A blazing beacon of photons,
Reaching into the heavens.
Traveling 186,000 miles a second,
Broadcast by inquiring minds,
Making its lonely sojourn,
Into the infinite, icy blackness beyond.
What’s out there?
Stars, galaxies, nebulae,
A heavenly realm beyond our own,
Wheeling above the sky.
With so many unanswered questions,
So many mysteries,
Concealed within its shimmering folds.
The point of light
A thirst for knowledge,
A cry for understanding,
From beings on a planet one,
Orbiting a minor sun.
. . . .
Equipped with our five senses,
We explore
The universe around us.
And we call the adventure,
Science.
Lines 22-23 adapted from “Scientist’s Psalm” by Walt Hearn.
Last stanza is adapted from a quote by Edwin Hubble.