[audioplayer file=”https://admin.rattle.com/audio/SnydalEye.mp3″]
EYE IN THE SKY
The eye appeared in the sky one early
Afternoon. At first many people blamed
Atmospherics, roiled air in the surly
September heat. Later weathermen claimed
The arched lid, serene blue iris were quirks
Not of nature but of the mind while late-
Night evangelists saw the ends of works
And days and told us how much to donate.
But still the eye gazed down upon our globe.
Telescopes were focused. The pope implored
God for forgiveness. NASA sent a probe.
George Harrison re-released “My Sweet Lord.”
Then the Oscar Awards aired on NBC
And everyone went inside to watch TV.
—from Rattle #38, Winter 2012
Tribute to Speculative Poetry
__________
Laurence Snydal: “I spent my youth addicted to science fiction and somewhere there was a story called ‘Eye in the Sky.’ In those pre-Sputnik years, it must have referred to an artificial satellite. But the idea …”