Here there was unity A world bound by curiosity.
Seventeen nations held by a vision of clarity
a sole desire pursued with renewed intensity
to see the obscure and seize the great opportunity
of viewing Saturn in its turmoil and tranquility.
It was the ideal love, respect, purpose, humility
the edge of science honed by aeons of ability
to grasp and subdue the sovereign intangibility.
Witness their labor their unwavered solidarity
passions lit like fire raging flames of curiosity
lighting hallowed halls with candles of virtuosity
burn them to wick ends to find the buried prosperity
create divine eyes to see beyond our perplexity.
The passion they had matched only by their tenacity
contemporaries became friends, family, fortuity
they shared in triumph and suffered failures with dignity
overcame so much in the name of secularity
to but sacrifice their scientific commodity.
Though it dies in space it will live throughout eternity
and thus it was launched with some modest publicity.

In ninety-seven Cassini set out with surety
Saturn would be reached and captured in high fidelity
with purposeful stops, choreographed uniformity.
It found Venus twice in all its prehensibility
to latch on tightly and harvest the planets gravity
once and once again leveraging familiarity
searching for lightning any signs of electricity
testing instruments to ensure long term integrity
measuring plasma and the airglow for posterity.
Earth and moon were next despite fears of instability
and then Marsursky an asteroid of immensity
found in eighty-one seen only through spontaneity.
The great Jupiter that overwhelming enormity
turmoilstuous clouds encircling that monstrosity
taking its profile celebrating its complexity
measuring the winds in all their immutability.
Last came the long dark four years of hypermobility,
settling in void with silent sobered sanguinity.
Stars in stark contrast pin points in fugue nebulosity
alone in the cold searching through darkness for amity.
Solace in silence drowned the machine in sobriety
the oppressive calm an inerradicability
but once given time they embraced extensionality.
Together they flew the dynamic confraternity
course predetermined with distance into banality
cradled in abyss benign alienability
become familiar discover comfortability
while hearts and minds wait honoring its domesticity;
proud patient parents full up with sentimentality
bonded evermore in the silent longanimity
quieting their fears of possible fallibility
with kind words shared and the breakthroughs palpability
four years of darkness ventured against vulnerability.
Anticipation At last overcame ubiquity.

Once Saturn was reached they caught its supernormality
in countless photos of its beautiful tangibility
Five moons in contrast expressed abstract linearity
Ribbons of shadow breaking surface contiguity
Sirens of Titan Huygens pulled by volubility
to land amongst bone celebrating insularity
Brave Odysseus in cycloptic impudicity
Dione sliced in two a violent show of paternity
Ice expressed as song with organic sensuality
A fractured diamond forced water in volcanicity
A storm in the north with swirls of ignitability
The dance of Janus subtle motions of duplicity
The black and white of Iapetus’ duality
Crystal palaces exuding fantasticality
The broken fingers, Prometheus’ naivety
Soft geometry moving in strange uniformity
The odd shape of Pan rightly playful with absurdity
Coral like structures Hyperion’s abnormality
All Saturn exposed transcendental luminosity,
lofty origins decades later met profundity
Earth smiled from afar at Cassini’s equanimity.
Embrace the dense clouds enter into immortality;
sleep now with the gods.