An Unearthly Perspective

the photograph shows
the beauty of Saturn’s rings
taken at that point in Cassini’s orbit
with the Sun blocked behind

Earth is a mere speck of light left of centre
someone thought it a blemish
when the image was first released
and tired to remove it …
someone did likewise a long time ago
decided this was not a good idea …
but the rings are quite stunning

she turns and grins … not quite
the mirror grins back without thought
a hair out of place is snipped
“I’m off … see you tonight” she calls
a retort from the open door
“… your hair looks nice today”

7 billion bodies
exploding within a pinhead
pricking the consciousness of matter
painfully incubating a microscopic eternity
while everything that is you and me
is absorbed in the space that is hidden within

many light years distant on another planet
a strand of hair holding her DNA is unravelled
recreating the beauty of her heavenly body
image and image maker merge
something so spectacular –

beyond the stars
beyond imagination

© Richard Scutter 12 march 2008

For a photograph associated with this poem see this link