Becoming a Skywatcher (song adapted from poem by Cynthia Ciani Anderson, style: folk)

Becoming a Skywatcher (song adapted from poem by Cynthia Ciani Anderson, style: folk)

Kids at school, husband at work,
I stand in the center of the kitchen
with a rough outline of the U.S. taped to my chest,
drawn on scrap paper with a black marker.

I designate the refrigerator as the sun
and begin to spin on my axis, making the "sun"
rise on the east coast of my t-shirt
and set on the west.

I add the moon—a softball, and make it orbit around me,
placing the "new moon" between me and the fridge,
the "full moon" on the opposite side of the room.

I start to consult astronomy books,
sun- and moon-rise tables.
I discover the miraculous planisphere.

I share my skywatching with others—
unsuspecting family members,
Girl Scouts at their day-camp sleepover night,
at a class I offer at the town recreation center.

I give planispheres as gifts.

I find a moon-watching buddy,
a fellow I know from yoga class.
We call each other for daylight moon sightings—
a bit of a competition.

During the appearance of the Hale Bopp comet
our Girl Scout troop gathers at a park
near a pond on the outskirts of town.
We lie on the ground in our sleeping bags
watching stars and comet come into view
as the earth spins and darkness envelops us.