Transit of Venus
He waits and watches carefully
Afraid to gaze directly
At what he wishes most to see
For a time that passes in hours
But which lasts only moments
For the smallest crescent of black
To flood and resolve itself
Into the small complete spot
The dot of a whole distant planet
At the very edge of vision
Moving slowly left to right
Following a steady path
Traversing the fiercely-blazing
Massive background
Of the blinding solar orb
Pulsing light and energy
A hot star that burns persistent
At astronomic distance
From his naked eye
It is only for these few brief moments
Through a particular conjunction
Of elliptical trajectories
And particular circumstances
That she arrives where she does
At these exact co-ordinates
So that he might have the chance
To stare at her distant body
Across the cold expanse
Of dark empty sky
Although his act of observation
Means nothing to her
And is of no consequence
And as he bends towards the eyepiece
Of the solar-focused telescope
To follow the heavenly path
And marvel at the beauty
Of her namesake
His earth-bound Venus
Walks behind and slowly past him
Hidden in the darkness
Of sun-cast shadows
Making a transit of her own, unseen
Across the space that divides them
Her movement attracting no attention
And within seconds
The moment is over
And she is gone again
Her tiny body lost to sight
Pursuing an orbit of her own
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