Makemake

Dennis Frohlich

In the farthest reaches of our sun
the Keiper Belt in spinning motion.
Inclining at twenty-nine degrees
the dwarf planet Makemake.

An orbit of 300 years
skirting interstellar frontiers.
History passes restlessly
under patient Makemake.

The year is 1699
nations ruled by royal bloodline.
Enlightenment for the bourgeoisie
under watchful Makemake.

Ships sail the ocean wide
steady Polaris as their guide.
Economies built on slavery
under cosmic Makemake.

Land is raked for furs and goods
forests felled for choice hardwoods.
Continents feel oh so tiny
under open Makemake.

Evolution, revolutions
nations’ mores devolution.
Debaucherous revelry
under silent Makemake.

War after war after war after war
more people killed than ever before.
People forget their history
under rocky Makemake.

Nations rise and nations fall
dictators cannot hold the wall.
The era of democracy
under lonely Makemake.

Slaves released when bonds are broken
the oppressed have firmly spoken.
Rulers finally hear their plea
under cratered Makemake.

Signals through the air are cast
then into space, forever last.
Received by those we can’t foresee
under listening Makemake.

Species hunted to their end
the natural order man offends.
Pruning branches from the tree
under shadowed Makemake.

Atomic bomb dropped on Japan
the nuclear age is now at hand.
Human beings killed ruthlessly
under icy Makemake.

Rockets leave Earth’s safe cocoon
humans landed on the moon.
From gravity’s shackles man is free
under spinning Makemake.

Wayward planes to towers crash
in the desert armies clash.
Lives disregarded casually
under distant Makemake.

In 2005, first discovered
the reddish planet’s face uncovered.
So begins another year
what will you see, Make dear?

The Science

Makemake is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt. Discovered in 2005, Makemake takes roughly 306 Earth years to orbit the sun. Given the dwarf planet’s extreme distance from the Earth, we currently know very little about it. Makemake is probably cold, barren, rocky, and dark. In this poem, I chronicle some of the important events in human history that happened in the ‘year’ before Makemake was discovered. Time and perception are relative. While likely very little happened to Makemake between 1699 and 2005, on the human scale, society changed dramatically, from revolutions to wars to new inventions. How much will change for humans during the next ‘year’ of Makemake’s life?

The Poet

Dennis Owen Frohlich is a professor of media and journalism at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include health communication, digital media, social support, and online communities. Poetry is one of many creative outlets he pursues to keep his heart, mind, and spirit fresh. His poems have been published in the Asahi Haikuist Network, Akitsu Quarterly, Altered Reality Magazine, the Bamboo Hut, Failed Haiku, and Poets for Science, among others. http://dennisfrohlich.com/

Next poem: Myself as another by Katrin Ahlgren