Venus

a goddess full of grace –
born of the pristine sea foam –
she is the protector of love.

fair in face,
she loves to roam
and watch her worship from above.

struck by her son cupid’s arrow,
she finally settled down
to wed her heart’s only true one.

in admiration that doth grow,
her awesome name, like a jeweled crown,
belongs to the second rock from the sun.

The Sun

washing the sky in vibrant rosy hues,
he awakens –
beginning to raise his sleepy head.
climbing a ladder only he can see,
he begins his daily trek
across the clear, azure sky,
lighting the heavens as he does.
although millions of miles away,
he seems as close as any neighbor –
close enough you can feel every one of
his passionate, warm caresses.
even though we often take for granted
his very presence,
it is hard to deny all the love
the sun provides to us everyday.

Saturn

a mountainous titan of a man with
a callous, frigid nature,
he swalloed his own children at birth,
trying to outwit fate.

outsmarted by his cunning wife,
one child was allowed to live –
bringing the fulfillment of prophecy
and a horrific end to an era.

to remember this man –
father time he is called by some –
they gave his infamous name
to the sixth planet from the sun.

and to see that he never lacks
for the company he always had near,
saturn’s moons and satellites are named
after the rest of his dying family.

Sagittarius

a noble creature with a gentle soul,
he lives in a land full of strife.
pure of heart with eye of coal,
he leads a quiet life.

skilled in many fields, including theology,
everyone know his name – of course.
Teaching heroes of Grecian mythology
was this half-man, half-horse.

wounded with a poisoned dart,
this immortal creature could not fully heal.
not even teaching his beloved music and art
could this immense pain steal.

given the chance to change one’s fate,
he traveled down charon’s way.
he was chained to a cliff where an eagle ate
his rejuvenated liver every day.

he was not forced into this action –
he went merely because he could.
so zeus placed Chiron in the stars’ devotion
to always remind of others of his good.

The Pleiades

seven beauties born from
the same titan of a man –
they lived a life of
freedom and casual ease.
pledged to follow a
single cause and a sole leader,
they frolicked in the forest
all their days.
frightened by a stranger,
a handsome man never before seen
by these sisters,
they pled to their goddess for salvation.
turned to snow white pigeons,
they flew up and up
until they took their places in the stars.

Pisces

a mother and son—
such a lovely pair—
did sit upon the bank,
sunning their skin so fair.

enjoying their lazy day
relaxing in the morning sun,
neither of them knew
of the danger to come.

interrupting their day and
destroying the peace at hand,
a giant rose from the river
and set his heavy foot on the land.

the pair did spy the foe
and for their lives did fear,
so changing into a pair of fish
they jumped into the water near.

to immortalize the event and
remind those near and far,
athena took their new forms
and placed them among the stars.

Orpheus and Eurydice

two young souls,
star crossed though they may be,
entwined in the glorious sky.

a fair young man
born of noble parents and
blessed with music in his soul.

a fair young maiden
true of heart and
virtuous in spirit.

two young people
brought together with love
and blessed with much happiness.

their union was true,
blessed with virtue, passion,
and an undying, all-consuming love.

cut short by her untimely demise,
he pined away for her
day after day, year after year.

he implored the gods
to let his beloved return to him,
fulfilling his fondest desire.

granted this wish,
he led her from a lonely eternity,
his heart bursting with anticipation.

foolish enough to mistrust his gods,
he looked back before they were home,
losing his love once again.

overcome with grief,
his instrument and voice fell silent
ultimately causing his own demise.

now together in paradise,
these lovers want for nothing and
they vow to never part.

and in the stars hangs a lyre,
his instrument of choice,
as an ever-present reminder of their tale.

Ode to Polaris

star light, star bright –
seems like i’ve muttered that phrase
a million times or more.
the hope always fresh in my heart,
i have yelled and screamed at you
when no one else would listen.
i have told you every one of
life’s little secrets,
knowing you could tell no other.
i have admired your endless beauty and
basked in your glorious radiance.
just a ball of burning gas –
i've been told time and again –
but star light, star bright,
you have been my very best friend every night.

Night Hunter

he stands there at night, strong and proud –
a secret lover who comes to me in the dark,
entering my room through my window and
lavishing me in his attentive, loving
light.

his shoulders are powerful and wide,
his gaze intense in this clear and
endless vista, looking back into my soul.
the stars in his wide belt twinkle
like a child’s eyes on christmas morning.

he hunts his prey alone –
a solitary predator stalking an elusive being,
forever doomed to wander the earth
in a ceaseless, vain
search.

he is orion,
protector of the night sky –
a lone man once proud and vital
now doomed to spend his days
eternally wandering the dark heavens.

Milky Way

a tiny babe, innocent and free,
was doomed to a horrible fate.
to falsify an oracle’s vision,
the babe’s siblings his father ate.
His mother frantic – out of her mind –
determined to save her own,
she gave the father a swaddling bundle
wrapped around a large stone.

left upon a mountain side,
the innocent one did rest.
when the dinner bell did call for him,
he nursed from a mother goat’s chest.
the infant grew strong and proud,
his heritage showed true.
then came the time to fulfill destiny
and turn the skies grey from blue.

he fought a battle, long and hard,
with those from whom he came.
he overthrew their cruelties
and slew them one and the same.
Recovering his siblings,
they ascended to a peak on high.
the path they followed in the stars
was a splash of goat’s milk across the sky.

Mercury

just a babe and
already so fair of face,
this nimble young god
could win any race.

with snakes twining up,
he takes winged staff in hand
and delivers to all
godly messages across the land.

inventor of instruments divine
and with a sense of humor sure to amuse,
he strives to teach mankind
practical arts it could us.

with beauty and never-ending grace,
there could be only one.
so for all his good, kind deeds,
he shares his name with the planet closest the sun.

Mars

as the god of war, he doth strive
to keep the spirit of battle alive.

in the hearts of men across the land,
he renews the lust to keep sword in hand.

with a fiery temper in so important a one,
he lends his name to the red planet – fourth from the sun.

always keeping his true kith and kin very near,
his moons are named for sons – “Panic” and “Fear.”

he continues to amaze, awe, and surprise –
and someday we’ll view his surface with our own eyes.

Man in the Moon

you look out the window,
and it’s there…
greeting you like a long, lost friend.
mysterious yet comforting when it’s full,
you anxiously await the night
where you can search for it once again,
just like you did when you were
a wee little babe –
the face of
the man in the moon.

Lyra

a beautiful instrument born
of pure mischief and glee,
the lyre’s lovely sounds haunt
a listener’s heart with a woeful melody.

in the hands of apollo
the lyre’s notes did loudly ring,
but in son orpheus’s hands
the instrument seemed to sing.

his only comfort after eurydice’s demise,
the lyre ultimately caused his downfall.
while strumming a tune full of sorrow and woe,
it drowned out the maenads’ siren call.

ripping the man limb from limb,
they eagerly sever his head.
throwing the body into the hebrus,
they celebrated once he was dead.

to mourn his passing,
the muses great effort gave
to gather all his body’s limbs
and commit them to a grave.

and in remembrance of
this tale of love, pure and true,
zeus placed the lyre for all to see
in the midnight’s inky blue.

Libra

lady justice walked the land,
the scales of justice in her hand.
these scales of metal and heavy wood
weighed the balance betwixt evil and good.

she used these scales everyday
to keep people moving on their way—
making sure to keep them on their path
so as not to disturb fate’s aftermath.

to remind those of us believers
of exactly where we are,
the scales were placed in the sky
amongst the night stars.

Leo

the king of beasts,
full of pride,
the lion of nemea
possessed an impenetrable hide.

the source of legend,
all male villagers tried—
but none could kill the lion
and remove the hide.

as punishment to one,
their king had lied—
claiming that the lion had killed—
and called for that hide.

he sent his cousin,
and our hero vied
to slay the lion and
retrieve his hide.

the hero struggled
and he tried
until, finally successful,
he removed that hide.

and now the lion
goes on a nightly ride
through the brilliant stars
in remembrance of him and his hide.

Jupiter

the king of gods – you know him well.
he rules above whilst his brothers rule the sea and hell.
he governs the land with an iron-clad fist –
his worshippers number far too many to list.
with a matronly wife whom doth possess a jealous eye,
he lazily watches for lovers from his throne on high.
for his appetites – some of the largest yet –
they gave his name to the largest planet.
And with moons surrounding its surface so fair,
jupiter never lacks for company there.
named for lovers and friends – even a first wife –
this fifth planet’s moons are the light of its life.

Inuit Moon

with a heart dark
as the blackest night,
he eagerly continues his chase.

through the endless sky
annigan pursues his desire,
hoping to one day win the race.

in love with his sister,
he covets her radiance and
follows her again and again.

until finally needing food
to recharge himself
and anxiously awaiting a new search to begin.

he pursues her bright light
every day of eternity,
never getting ahead.

yet he keeps up
his evil mind game,
hoping to her one day to be wed.

Hydra

a hideous beast with heads numbering nine,
she was put on this earth to plague mankind.

with a visage so gruesome all it took was one stare
to give even the bravest of men a terrible scare.

serving hera loyally throughout her long life,
the creature did cause the grecians much strife.

to battle the monster twas a suicidal task—
the kind of only one hero they could ask.

so the plight of the people hercules set out to end
though many thought twas a fight he would not win.

locked in struggle, the two did fight—
the beast verses our hero’s might.

it seemed his chances held on by a tiny string
when from one severed head two would spring.

just when it seemed he would win not,
hercules found the solution he sot.

with fire in hand and his sword at every turn,
the stumps of the heads he would now burn.

finally left with the beast’s main head,
the hero did bury it, leaving her dead.

and for her service—faithful and true—
she was placed in the night’s inky blue.

across the heavens hydra now does wind
always searching for her next victim on which to dine.

Gemini

two brothers born into the world
as close as they could be –
one the son of a god; the other of a king –
no one could deny their gallantry.

voyaging far from their childhood home,
the two did never part.
though of two bodies,
they shared one soul and heart.

when finally separated by
one brother’s untimely demise,
both were given immortality
and placed in the night skies.

two twinkling stars –
one orange and one white –
the brothers pollux and castor
remain together night after night.

Eridanus

twisting and turning through the land,
the river now runs dry.
fated as a cruel resting place,
twas where a god’s son must die.
the boy drove his father’s golden chariot,
lighting up the day.
but the horses knew the master not
and broke loose from their reins halfway.
plummeting towards the harsh landscape,
the boy prayed for his life.
but there was nothing Apollo could do,
and it caused the god much strife.
crashing through the murky depths,
the boy’s short life did end.
now the river runs dry on land,
its sandy bottom blowing in the wind.
but it also winds brilliantly
across the midnight sky—
a symbol of where this foolish boy
was fated to die.

Draco

he winds his way across the sky,
a horrible creature to spy.
the myths and legends surrounding his life
are as numerous as the humans he caused strife.

some say he’s a dragon who fought
a goddess for the power he sought.
she threw him into the stars so bold
before he could unwind his coils of gold.

others say he met with a hero
who went to legend from absolute zero.
guarding hera’s apples still on the trees,
his life was taken by the fair hercules.

yet others about the world do say
this dragon had the god of war to provide his pay.
he guarded a spring of fresh water
and killed a group of men he not ought to.

whichever legend your mind chooses to kiss,
this dragon’s existence is hard to miss.
his body winds its way across the night sky,
its terrible visage apparent to the naked eye.

Cygnus

a friendship so deep, abiding, and true,
this lad’s grief an end never knew.
as his friend’s lifeless body plunged into the sea,
he raced to his side hoping the truth not to be.
he held the lad’s body to his breast
and felt a strange tingling in his chest.
as he cried out in anger at the gods above,
his body was transformed in his grief and love.
he was now white as snow
with feathers where his hair once did grow,
and his neck was long and thin.
his voice distorted to a squawk as his cry did begin.
choosing to shy away from man
in his mistrust of all deities like pan,
the swan spent his days
in a grief-filled haze
until his death brought peace to his plight
and his shape being placed within the stars in the night.

Corona Borealis

a maiden fair from far away,
her life was so filled with woe.
she laid a trap to kill her brother
and win her charming beau.

success attained, she took a vow
to love him throughout forever.
he took her from her childhood home
and commanded she return never.

upon an isle in the sea
the newlyweds did land.
for another woman’s pretty face
he left her alone in the sand.

rescued by a kindly god,
who had been struck by cupid’s arrow,
our maiden did find love again
near the land of the pharaoh.

upon her death, her husband’s grief
no remedy could drown.
to honor her and their love throughout all time,
he did place among the stars her crown.

now we look up in the sky
in never-ending admiration
at ariadne’s corona borealis
as it lights a dark heavenly nation.

Cetus

a noble creature with a gentle heart,
he spends his days a drift
on the currents of the deep blue sea,
for one so large moving rather swift.
rumoured to be the representation
of a hideous creature from the sea,
this quiet giant surfs the night skies
happy as can be.
he lights our night with a beacon
as large as this celestial whale,
and with the end of night’s fair light
comes the end of my tale.

Cepheus

a regal man who knew
his own heart was true
proved himself to be brave.

by sailing the sea,
it was easy to see
this prince was no knave.

when it came time to wed,
he listened to his heart – not his head –
and married a foolish lass.

the new queen had tendency to boast,
and the gods were most
angered with what had come to pass.

the man begged for his wife –
pleaded to save her life –
and promised to fulfill any demand.

to atone for the queen’s crime,
for his only daughter it was sacrifice time
and only spilling her blood would save the land.

the princess released by a strange lad –
who immense courage he had –
the king was relieved as could be.

but on the day of the vow,
to his wife’s protests he did bow
and forbade the joining to be.

the hero was cross –
our fair king felt the loss
as he and his wife were made stone.

now forever for all to see,
our king resides in the night’s black sea
for the bravery and chivalry he was renown.

with a brilliant crown
and a robe soft as down,
he plants his foot on true north.

his queen by his side,
the night sky he doth ride
as in search of adventure he sets forth.

Cassiopeia

a beautiful queen full of pride
who never learned her vanity to hide,
she boasted to visitors across the sand
that she was the most beautiful in the land.
forced to atone for her erroneous slight,
the gods demanded a sacrifice to set it right.
but no ordinary life would they take –
only the queen’s child’s blood would their thirst slake.
upon her death – a ghastly sight –
the gods immortalized her in the night.
wearing the bright north star as a crown,
this foolish queen spends half her time upside down
as a reminder to those both far and near
that the wrath of the gods is something to fear.

Capricorn

feasting upon the river’s bank,
bacchus spied the threat.
leaping into waters so black and rank,
the god knew not what to do yet.
seeing the giant appear on the shore,
our hero felt his form change.
preparing for battle with a roar,
he definitely felt a little strange.
ready to defend his divine king –
now half fish and half goat –
this man’s true talent started to sing
as on his pipes he blew a shrill note.
as the giant ran from the piercing sound –
jupiter smiting him so from elysian fields he did bar –
with a gratitude so newly found,
our hero’s new form was placed high as a star.

Cancer

a tiny creature with a faithful heart,
he was always eager to do his part.
summoned by his mistress for an evil deed,
the crab sought out a hero destined to lead.
as Hercules strove for the hydra to slay,
the little creature prepared to darken his day.
with pincers and claws as hard as steel,
this diminutive animal nipped the man’s heel.
tragically crushed ‘neath our hero’s large feet,
this faithful servant went, his fate to meet.
as a reward for service so filled with might,
this crab lives forever to light our night.

Boötes

normally a gentle man –
a humble herdman by trade –
he ascends to a higher calling,
one providing aid.

while tending his flocks
and striving to reach his goal,
he leads his herd of beautiful stars
about the great north pole.

but if the call should come
and the need does arise,
brave boötes is there to
protect the great bears of the skies.

Aries

a noble creature pure of heart
and brave beyond all measure –
this magnificent golden ram
spirited away two innocent babes
and saved them from persecution
at the hands of their own father.

enduring treacherous climes
and avoiding hostile nations,
this dauntless trio braved on.
even when tragedy fell and
claimed the precious little girl,
the ram continued on to save the boy.

rushing courageously across
harsh, alien landscapes,
this valiant beast
took the terrified prince to
a friendly country –
a place where he’d always be safe.

as an offering of loyalty,
the young man sacrificed
the regal animal and
gifted the pelt to the king –
a token of peace to ensure
a long life with these strangers.

coveted by all,
only one was foolish enough
to steal the golden fleece –
an evil tyrant who
desired the power and wealth
associated with the hide.

rescued by a heroic band of men,
the fleece was restored to its rightful owner.
and the ram – the magnificent, selfless beast –
finally was rewarded by
being placed among the stars as
a symbol of unending courage.

Aquarius

ganymede –
handsome son of
a noble king and
humblest of herdsmen.

ganymede –
spotted from high
and amorously coveted by
the king of the gods.

ganymede –
spirited away from
the bosom of kith and kin
by an ethereal, regal bird.

ganymede –
resident of Olympus and
beloved by all he served as
cupbearer of the gods.

ganymede –
immortalized in heaven
upon his demise as a symbol of
the olympians’ undying love for this lad.

Andromeda

daughter of a courageous king
and a beautiful yet boastful queen,
she nervously awaits –
a beautiful virgin sacrifice.
chained to an ancient, weathered cliff,
she fearfully trembles –
vulnerable and terrified –
fated to quench a sea creature’s desires.

spied from the clouds
by a heroic young warrior,
she is rescued from the
hungry, looming jaws of the beast,
and it is slain by
our young hero,
never to terrify an innocent
ever again.

upon the day of her wedding
as she is prepared to make her vow,
her family recants on
a solemn promise,
thus dooming themselves to
a never-ending hell of
silent, unmoving seclusion
imprisoned in stony bedrock.

happily wed for the remainder of
their short, mortal lives,
the couple is now immortalized
in the twinkling of
night’s wondrous vista –
the maiden’s hands outstretched and chained
to remind foolish others of
the gods’ terrible wrath.