Visitor

Unheralded, you hogged the telescope’s field.
You came unannounced, unalmanacked,
elbowing every cosmic fire
out of the lens’ ken. Your incandescence blacked
the firmament out entire,
and for a while, your brilliance sealed

the retinal mind’s edges. Your diamond hail
blinded us, and stupored eyes scrummed
for shafts of countless winking stars.
Past all wonder, senses numbed,
we watched your rainbow showers
scatter magic in their trail.

And then – nought. As swiftly as you’d blazed you were gone.
Poor Halleys we, we trawled in vain
the mocking void for telltale gleam, lambent spoor.
But black, resplendent, king once again
answered but with tawdry glass, a charlatan’s lure.
The spaces stared unmoving, blank of where you’d shone.