Poems from Outer Space

Some people say I've taken the whole haiku thing too far. Others say I haven't taken it far enough. I've decided to err on the side of adventure and take the haiku writing all the way to outer space.

The choice to write in haiku is one of practicality as much as aesthetics. As lovely as it would be to present the planets in sestina, sonnet or villanelle form, haikus are much easier to radio in using lucubrations.net's sophisticated network of interplanetary baby monitors. With an ode, you risk losing a verse without knowing the difference, but the short, consistent syllable count of a haiku increases the chance of successful broadcast.

The poem cycle begins and ends on a terrestrial level, moving on to explore each planet and encounter other celestial activity along the way. Collectively, I like to call these poems "the solar system."

The astronomical art above was skillfully rendered and graciously shared by Mr. Dave Coates.

I hope you enjoy.

HAIKU SOLAR SYSTEM

the moon is rising
I am climbing up a hill
who will get their first?

planetarium
amid star clusters and moons
nine planets appear

Mercury I've heard
conspiracies to melt you
into tooth fillings

fireballs will fall
on the roof of our skylab
head to the spacement

morning and evening
star seductress Venus is
lust of the planets

dark side of the moon
Astronauts who go AWOL
like to gather here

Earth try as I might
I can't manage to escape
your troubled surface

satellite shot down
by Orion the Hunter
with his mighty bow

Red planet promise
Mars Rover Mars Rover I'm
flying right over

in space debris I
find the perfect metaphor
for my mental state

eye of Jupiter
unblinking and shot through with
thunder and lightning

Ganymede the Moon
kidnapped by the Planet King
to be cupbearer

Saturn's rings spin on
in solar Saturnalia
dance of 60 moons

if you get this far
life in outer space is a
Gas Giant party

Uranus you is
the punchline of schoolyard jokes
about anuses

far-reaching orbits
when will I see you again?
moons ask each other

Neptune is a sea
where Neptunians sing tunes
cool blue and distant

dwarf planets hitchhike
a ride on Haley's comet
past the asteroids

Pluto you are still
a part of the family
for kids in Kansas

drink a glass of stars
swallow a constellation
hiccup a pulsar

sun is coming up
I am on the path back home
pass it on the way