The lazy hunter of the western sky
Spreads himself
From north to south for all to see.
His three-starred belt's
Among the first to shine.
But below his belt
Swirls his coyly hidden nebula,
A colossus far above my feeble reach.
Tonight
He's teasing me again,
Blinking beyond the city haze
Playing his game of late-night hid-n-seek,
He need not worry.
His secret's tucked away
Safe between his legs
Beyond my naked eyes,
Without a telescope for help.
Orion, why so bashful? Why so discreet?
I've tamed orphaned cats to come inside to visit.
I've picked wildflowers in the field, and stuck them in a vase.
Even rocks and reeds grow in my hallway corner--
Yet unlike them you shy away, unwilling to submit.
Earthly life and heavenly love
Would rather roam untethered,
Eluding capture.
Cats go hunting,
Flowers wither,
Rocks turn to dust,
And like any other man,
Orion's far too independent
To run home free
Upon command.
(c)Christy Lumm 1996
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