Shy Light
by Elizabeth Barrette
The universe shows itself to us
In more ways than we can see.
We build machines to look with shy light
And find Orion suddenly a stranger:
By ultraviolet, Saiph and Rigel wax large
While Betelgeuse wanes to a dim wisp.
By infrared, the warrior turns vivid
In robes of crimson glory, holding out
A hand huger than the sun
Which beckons us to follow.
Grasping at straws, we spin gold,
And climb on toward the stars.
Copyright © 2003, Elizabeth Barrette
Orion
Image courtesy of NASA and STScI
Over 130 of Elizabeth Barrette's poems have appeared in over 40 venues, including "lupercalia" in Mythic Delirium, "Cockfight" in Star*Line and "A Steed of Steel and Silver" in the MindSparks Science Fiction Poetry Association. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Rhetoric from the English Department at the University of Illinois. She currently serves as the Managing Editor of PanGaia magazine and Assistant Editor for SageWoman. To learn more about her work, please visit her web site.