You don’t need to know that Orion is
surrounded by his dogs of prey, that
he carries a shield, raises his club –
but it helps.
If you spot the three studs of his belt
you can impress your grandson. Perhaps
you’ll see the brightest stars, the heads of Gemini, heavenly twins,
Castor and Pollux, skilful with horses
and boxing, thought by the Roman soldiers
to lead them into battle. You might point out
the plough or little bear
and the pole star on a clear night. You
can tell him there’s a bull, dragon, bears,
a swan, dog, a winged horse, lizard,
even a hare and a dolphin –
but say it’s too cold to stay out tonight
and find them all. That gives you time
to consult a chart, read a book or agree to
figure it out together.
Just look up at the sky to the North
share the wonder of it, hold hands, talk
about the immensity of the universe,
and our littleness.
Answer the questions if you can, but be
honest, we know very little and perhaps
he’ll learn more and tell you someday.