Galileo's Moons

If I could sail a thousand miles;

Just to be with you.

I’d navigate to the stars above,

and Galileo’s moons.

Polaris and the Southern Cross,

Are stretched so far and wide.

They light my path and give me hope;

I’ll have you by my side.

When seas are calm I hoist my sails;

And bid a fond farewell.

Then soon enough the skies grow dark,

As seas begin to swell.

It matters not how long it takes,

The danger or the gloom.

For on starry nights your face appears

In Galileo’s moons.

I’ve sailed so long; I’ve sailed so far;

The days turned into years.

In all that time I’ve kept my faith;

And pushed aside my fears.

My compass is my aide-de-camp;

My mast and rudder too.

And when it’s dark I search the skies,

For Galileo’s moons.

When I was young I hatched a plan

The dream I tried to hide.

But life took hold and swept me up

And took away my pride.

Now here I stand alone and old;

My heart still young and true.

If I reach your shores its thanks alone

To Galileo’s moons.

I wrote this poem back in 2011 after I'd read a beautiful book called "Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel, one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Inspiration can come from almost any source!