On the latest discovery of an exoplanet.

by Pippa Goldschmidt

Stutter–dots of light break up the sky,
a bright Morse code
that we love to crack.
But even after we receive the message,
each star will persist in staking its territory
way beyond what,
to our minds,
is a reasonable boundary
to claim even the smallest, furthest rock.

All we see of these distant planets
are their clean–punched shadow–holes.
And all we know is their inability
to take care of themselves
and their reliance on the light of others.
But our knowledge can’t be unique
our observations are not special.

We must suppose that, in turn,
we are being watched
from somewhere else.
It’s no use looking and looking.
We don’t know where.

The only place we can’t be seen
is behind the telescope dish
where we congregate for safety
together with those types of plants
capable of growing all their lives in the shade.