Main sequence local star.
Colour yellow, it’s a G
When it dies, it won’t go as far
Into the black night of gravity
As a bigger star.
One day it will be a white dwarf.
Once it’s run out of hydrogren
And started burning helium
It will destroy the Earth, Venus and Mercury too.
But for now it’s pottering along
Burning hydrogen nicely,
Giving off occasional burps and farts
Of solar flares, mostly behaving itself.
*
I think of our nice yellow local star
Sitting at the head of the council of the gods,
Shining yellow and mysterious.
The Earth/Moon speaks first:
“Help me oh gods,” they say,
“To spawn into space. Help me
As you’ve helped before.”
*
Mars barks with laughter.
“I’m ready,” he says, “Where are they?”
Poisonous Venus smiles: “Playing as always,
Following the greed of the moment.”
Mercury chatters: “I’m loving their new greenwash, guys!
Hilarious! They honestly believe words will save them.
I’m going to win our usual wager.”
*
The asteroids buzz through like a stutter,
A planet that could have been green
And full of life
But was accidentally broken up by Jupiter.
*
Jupiter is pompous. “Personally,” he says,
“I believe they will make it into space.
Though they’re cutting it very fine.
They are unusually foolish, I must say.”
*
Saturn shrugs and says nothing,
Still embittered by his failure to ignite as a star,
The promising moon that turned into rings.
Neptune and Uranus shrug. Waiting for the Sun
To start fusing helium and warm them precisely
Into the goldilocks zone
So they can have a go at life themselves.
Hideous war will speed up their spawnings.
Pluto isn’t a planet and can’t speak any more.
*
“Mars, Earth, Jupiter, you’re betting
On a successful spawning?” says the Sun.
The three planets nod.
“Mercury, Venus and Saturn, you’re betting against?”
They smile and agree.
“Neptune and Uranus, you’re not betting?”
They shrug; they’re just waiting
For the warm zone to get to them.
*
The Sun smiles.
“I will be at my solar minimum for 11 years,”
He says, “limiting my activity to avoid
Warming them any more.
Giving them the best chance I can.”
*
“That’s cheating,” sneers Venus,
“Why should we give the walking apes a break?”
“You had your chance and messed it up,”
Says Mars, “Now you’d better hope
The apes come and colonise you.”
“Pfff,” says Venus.
*
The Sun smiles at them.
“We will support any life form with the possibility
Of spreading us to the stars.
This is more important than anything else.
I have spoken,” says the Sun,
Ending the call.