driven as if
by a Jaredite wind

spanning the deep
leaping past sea and shore

swing low and hard
tight like a hula hoop

on a tensed hip
take a new tack, rising

driven indeed
by stiff photonic winds

seek apogee
past prime meridian

fueled clean and full
by the sun’s rays alone

Poet’s Notes:

This poem is an ode to LightSail 2, a solar sail launched into orbit in June. It has gone on to demonstrate propulsion by sunlight. The mission was funded by the Planetary Society. Reactions to the poem are welcome in the comments section below.

The Book of Ether from the Book of Mormon is referenced, especially chapter 6 verse 8: “And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow…”

The featured image is of LightSail 2 passing north of Australia. (Credit: The Planetary Society, unprocessed image version, CC BY-NC 3.0)