Words from Pep
Consider the heavens…
By James “Pep” Washburn
Consider the heavens. It’s eleven PM
and still 80 degrees. Humidity fills the night sky slightly obscuring my gaze
toward the center of our galaxy. To the southeast Pegasus rides above Uranus
and Neptune sails through Orion. Just above the western horizon Saturn lusts
after Venus as they make an exit stage left down the plane of the ecliptic.
Mars and Jupiter will soon be towed into view by Luna dressed in her silver
beauty. Swift Mercury clings to the sun on the other side of our blue orb and
Pluto, up there somewhere, voyeur, hidden in the dark, obliquely circles this
humble family of planets on the edge of the Milky Way. All this, just an
orbiting spec in our local cluster, wheels within flaming wheels,
incomprehensible in size, space, distance. Beauties hitherto unseen by humankind.
Realities we are unable to yet imagine. Upon what can this be measured?
Distance, size, scale, all is relative. Human consciousness spins out of
control in the grasping of this. Comprehension appears possible only in
defaulting to an emotional perspective. . . . . . A slight shifting of gravel
draws my attention and I slowly rock my head and eyes downward. In the dark,
two mice, unaware of my godlike observation, are making their way up a badger
shaped stone. It must be Mickey & Mini. Their almost imperceptibly shrill
chatting, just within my range of hearing, I interpret to be comments on the
infinitude above us. . . . . . Then it happened. They, me, we, mice and man,
dust in the universe, floating in the eternity that washes around us, sank into
the depths of this sea of space and for a moment seemed to know the number of
our days. For a moment we glimpsed each other’s frail and immeasurable beauty
and the grace that allowed it all. For this one eternal moment revelation had
consumed me. . . . . . The call of an owl brought us back down to earth. From
the box seats in our theater, Mickey and Mini leaped into the grass and my
state of altered consciousness passed. . . . . . Consider the heavens for they
consider thee.
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