The earth has water older than
the sun, scientists say. I’ll never
see rain the same way again,
or hear it tap on the roof
at 4:00 a.m. and not wonder
what other skies it has fallen from,
what other oceans it once also
returned to as if going home.
Scientists say they’re more certain
than ever that planets
throughout the cosmos harbor this
resident alien. And remembering
how many times the eye
has evolved on Earth alone,
I listen to the drumming
on the roof and imagine
that someday, sure as rain,
we’ll meet the watery gaze of beings
born under distant stars.
Maybe we’ll see enough of ourselves
to realize then that loneliness
has no cure—that we are all heirs
to drifting, interstellar ice.
Maybe we’ll offer them a drink.
Maybe we’ll weep.
In response to Scientific American: “Earth Has Water Older than the Sun“
You have outdone yourself, Dave! Keep up the good work!
Hey, thanks for challenging me to write it. Glad you liked.