The Boy and I
walking under
the evening sky:
he notes the bright, bright star
glittering high

—not a star, say I
that’s Jupiter

and that’s Saturn,
right over there—

I take out my phone
open an app
hold it to the sky
aim at these ‘stars’

up pop the planets
on the fly

—oh, the awe
in The Boy’s eyes—

he shows me his watch
I didn’t know
he’d set its face
to the solar system
planets positioned in orbits
line by line:

I know where they are
but I didn’t know I
could actually see them
in the sky

—what app is that??

—SkyView, say I

in an instant
The Boy has downloaded it
and is turning every which way
phone pointed
at the night sky

—Mars is right there
by the streetlight! he cries

I LOVE this,
says he,
by and by

I watch him
with a sigh
remembering how
he first fell in love
with planets
around age five

The Boy’s solar system artwork, created for me about twenty years ago.
It remains taped to the back of my bedroom door.