Green Bank Telescope

Life’s good in Wisconsin.
Life is good in Green Bay.
Life is good in Green Bank.

Both towns bundle up;
both towns mow their yards;
both towns munch cheese, but—
there are some differences.

In Green Bay,
they watch the weather closely,
fearing lake effect snows.

In Green Bay,
they listen to the radio,
the cool sounds of WXWX FM

Green Bay listens closely, to
hear their champions tear
their opponents apart.
Packers rule! Yeah!
And they look down on quiet Green Bank.

In Green Bank,
they listen to solar weather,
waiting for flares to blow.

Green Bankers listen
to the ultrahip sounds
of Complex H.

Closing their eyes to the mundane,
they peer past the visible.
examining remnants of great gas clouds
torn apart by galactic gravity.
They look past Green Bay completely.

You may cheer the Packers loudly,
wave their pennants,
wear their shirts.

But I will cheer for Green Bank,
where Midwestern radio astronomers
do truly champion work.


Copyright © 2005, Greg Beatty

Greg Beatty has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa, where he wrote a dissertation on serial killer novels. He attended Clarion West 2000, and any rumors you've heard about his time there are, unfortunately, probably true. Greg writes everything from science fiction poetry (winning a Rhysling this year) to reviews of books that don't exist. When he's not writing, Greg teaches for the University of Phoenix Online. Greg recently got married.