Sonnet IV

Aunt Fruma and Uncle Toli at KSC

Sonnet IV

(The Jupiter Sonnet)

Dense bubbles in the sky are doughnut holes
Embedded in a crucial fluid jamm’d
Into a violet space; electron moles
Are gaseous atoms racing to get slamm’d
Above. Pure shades of higher thought foresee
Endless sweat on faces cast in plasters;
These glowing swirls of cumulus are three
Dimensional portraits of the masters.
Behind a blue wake trails a yellow ball
A sheet of light speeds through the atmosphere.
The clouds which tumble through the frightful squall
Are color tear drops melting from God’s ear.
Tornadoes overwhelm the Great Red Spot.
From here, that planet is a starry dot.

*********************

This is my most famous sonnet. Written in 1993, it is on display at Kennedy Space Center, in the art gallery, located in the IMAX building. In the picture above, my Aunt and Uncle (mother’s sister) are in front of the painting by which my sonnet is displayed. Notice the little plaque next to my aunt. That’s it.

Posted on:

The Poetry Pantry Is Now Open! – #73

This website has an interesting animation of the storms on Jupiter. It’s also a good example of classical fluid dynamics.

http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/resources/ava/solarsystem/P0413jupispot