The young stargazer looks to the sky.
The star cluster Pleiades catches his eye,
But catching it only, it does not hold
For this dim spectacle of old
Disappears when looked upon.
A glance direct will find it gone.
To the restless seeker, it hides its light,
But taunts him when he looks aside.
With respect to the whole, he knows it lives,
Yet how can he grasp the truth it gives?
He pleads for an image, he yearns to see;
Not content to let it be.
He ponders whether he has poor sight,
Or maybe, he wonders, this is life.
He can’t explain, and he questions why.
But he cannot ignore that it caught his eye.

© Tanner Rinke 2002