Hubble

Hubble

Somewhere between Earth and Moon,
amongst the asteroids and man-made rubble,
he broke free from his cocoon,
that telescope named Hubble.

He spread his wings as if to dry,
felt the Sun sing and came alive,
aligned his mirrors with the heart of things,
and caught light from the start of things,
from when the celestial spheres first rang,
after that primordial Big Bang.

Hubble searched through those ancient rays and got a fix
on the beginning of days, plus six.
And he sent his Message to the Earth so far below,
to those anxiously waiting, who thought that they wanted to know,
to the astronomers, theorists, dons,
in their safe havens of concrete, steel, and electrons.

Some fled in fear, on their lips a curse,
minds unable to reassemble their shattered universe.
Others fell to their knees minds enthralled, bodies atremble,
eyes glued the image of that awful thing, no longer just a symbol.

Cause when from Hubble's signal a picture had finally been teased,
there was God in His Hammock, looking exhausted, and pleased.
-- Fred Barnes