Up at Kitt Peak National Observatory,
50 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona,
While I led a group of visiting students 
From a high school science class in Mexico 
On a tour of the McMath-Pierce Telescope
–The largest solar scope on Earth—
One of the students gave me new hope.

The students, fourteen to sixteen years old,
Had been shy at first, just listening,
But once I told them
How much scientists don’t know
They began asking questions,
Most for a class assignment,
And predictable,
Until this one girl surprised me.

 “Do other stars have the same
Purpose as the Sun?” she asked.

I flashed on Albert Einstein
 Wondering at age sixteen, 
“What’s it like to ride a light beam?”

 “I may know more astronomy
Than you,” I replied with a grin
“But your guess is as good as mine.
 Neither of us can be sure
 What stars are for — 
Maybe to evolve life on planets,
Maybe for some other task
Humans aren’t yet able to grasp,
But what a great question to ask!” 

We shared a smile, two sisters at heart,
Each one playing her Earth scripted part—
A Girl Whose Queries Greatly Matter,
A Guide Attuned To Cosmic Chatter.

Cosmic Comedienne
Tucson, Arizona
May 24, 2016