Golden and glowing, that star in the chariot
High in the winter sky, nudging the Milky Way
She’s just a kid in the arms of the driver, or
Stars in two pairs to the person who cares for
Astronomy details as well as the myths which give
Rise to the names and the stories we love.
Only Arcturus and Vega outshine her from
Half of the world, namely our Northern Hemisphere
Savor the sight in Auriga high overhead
Bright golden light from the huge giant binary
Look between Taurus and Camelopardalis
Prominent now but by summer she’s gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This I wrote for the February issue of the Blue Moon Observer, monthly newsletter of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society. It is posted to Mindful Poetry, Susan Budig's group which accepts only poetry in form; the form is called Dactyl Form. Not to be confused with dactyl as the pattern in a "foot" of meter, the Dactyl Form is one which uses dactylic feet. An example is Alfred Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Notice that the terminal two unstressed syllables are absent from the last line of each stanza. Inspired by Capella herself, currently high in the Milky Way in the evening from the Northern Hemisphere.
recommend
Facebook
Twitter
bookmark 
print
Comments: 62
I agree that Magi's comment is beautifully said.
I didn't know there was a Northern Cross or Northern Triangle. Is there also a Western and Eastern Cross?
mmmmmmmm
...and I will also add that I do not know much about poetry and the different forms but greatly admire those who seem to be able to navigate easily from one form to another...
Beautiful, John!
the computer, so maybe can spot the Southern Cross. The Northern Lights were spectacular on the computer, so maybe.

 Featured in Nighttime Observations at the Triple Name Club.
Thank you for posting your work to Gather's Luminous Writers and Artists. Now Featured.
I think our sky at night here in an English city suffers from light pollution. I think so. Although it is becoming increasingly hard to remember. Looking up all we ever see is clouds. Last year was our wettest year since records began. It's wet enough normally, so that record was particularly notable.
I'm no astronomer, but I understand the fascination.
Thank you for your comment, Mike.
Our island has no bright street lights - they are all sort of dimmed and it is done on purpose so that the street lights don't interfere with the viewing up at the observatories/telescopes on top of Mauna Kea.
Capella is a double-double star--two pairs of stars, one pair consisting of two red giants.