The Persiads Over Ithaca

Terry Kelleher – 1994

In mid-August, the Perseid meteor shower crosses the earth’s orbit. Near midnight, the sky is said to light up with shooting stars. For several years we waited, only to see the sky cloud over.

It’s a mid-August evening. the airs warm and dry.
A light breeze is blowing and stars fill the sky
We set out the lawn chairs and wait for mid-night,
when the Perseid shower will be at its height.

/ G – C - / D7 – G - ///

The night air grows cooler. The neighbors come by.
We all wait together for lights in the sky.
Just an hour to go, we’ve got quite a crowd.
And off in the west, we see the first cloud.

We’ve waited all year for nature’s best show.
Then the sky turns gray and our hearts sink low.
”Maybe next year” mutters the crowd.
”Another year watching the Perseid Cloud”.

/ Em – C - / D – G - / - - C - / D7 – G - /

In Ithaca we learn that weather will turn.
It’s flighty and changes, but never stands firm.
They rain comes and goes. Wind is still and then loud.
But there’s nothing as sure as the Perseid Cloud.

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