The successful wake-up of our comet-chaser Rosetta inspired a few of you to send us poetry and songs over the last week! Thanks to Laurie, Max and Ted for sharing your works with us.

Ted's songListen here for some “Wake up Rosetta” blues by Ted Roberson and BigmamaDee.

 

Chasing Comets
(Specifically, 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko)
by Laurie Smilan

Hello!
Thanks for checking in!
We are
Still here. Spinning. Stuck.
Worried.
“Are you still out there?”
“Are you
“Well? Alone, but safe?
OK?”

You were
Our heart’s creation,
Our best
Imagination’s
Hope. Our
Boldest, dare- to -dream
Dreams, just
Dreams. Except for you.
For you.

Then you,
(We, vicarious)
Flew! Off
Propelled in space-time
On your
So long, so solo,
Journey.
Far, forever far
From us.

We are
Wondering in wonder,
Earth-bound,
Of your wandering.
You soar
Into silence.
Then, Silent.
Silence. Cold. Distance.
Distant.
Were you misguided?
Or lost?

Silence.
At first, endured.
But then.
After years of it,
Silence.
Seconds, minutes, more
We wait.
We cannot bear it.
We wail.

Our sun’s
Light finally finds you.
Warmth stirs
Some thing, reminds you
It sparks
Some deep embedded
Memory
Chip, hard-wired inside
You, Probe!

We fret
Have you forgotten?
You call!
You are still out there!
We probe.
You give no answers.
You turn,
You are still searching.
You go.

You know
You’re on our mission
You probe
The outer limits,
The depths.
The Limitlessness
Of our
Beginnings. And End
Despair?

We hope.
Wakened tin-can probe
You can
Out in the cosmos
Fulfill
Our mortal yearnings,
Our dreams
(Stuff you are made of).
Perchance.

Thank you.
For chasing comets
(Stuff we are made of).
Thank you.
For checking in.

 

Ode to Rosetta
by Max Pudney

As you wake from hibernation,
stir up your instrumentation,

With every Watt of solar power
go find the truths for which we scour.

Keep in light out of the shadow,
orbits finely poised and narrow.

What memory does this comet keep,
locked up in rock in space so deep.

Land Philae on its frozen ground,
search elements that are around.

Discern the different isotopes
on which we now pin all our hopes.

Watch plasma and magnetic field
to see what secrets they might yield.

And when the Sun awakes a coma,
your sense will taste its strange aroma.

Please be our eyes and ears and nose,
and follow where the comet goes.

Go on Rosetta – help us see
our proto-genealogy.