For Captain Wayne Hanson
Beside a ponderosa
He introduced us
To ancient torches
Littered across the sky
Pinched through a tube
Named Celestron that
Whirled clusters of stars
Through a hilltop dome where
He pried open the lip
Of the Sombrero galaxy
To scrutinize its tenants
Secluded in Virgo
And manipulated
The Ring Nebula
With a bunch of eyepieces
Held between our bodies
Crammed within the walls
Of his observatory
Light years away from
His military command