We want to be left alone

studying the starlight—
in our search for habitable worlds
we don’t yet know the mass
or what they’re made of.

In our search for habitable worlds,
compelling clouds may be
what they’re made of;
or a small, dark circle on reddish ball.

Compelling clouds may be
practically in our backyard
with a small, dark circle on reddish ball
(the dimming sun).

Practically in our backyard,
fixed in the sky,
the dimming sun
shows a transiting planet.

Fixed on the sky,
we don’t yet know: this mass
shows a transiting planet
studying our starlight.

 

A pantoum of found phrases from this article on the discovery of “3 strange worlds” and this article about today’s transit of Mercury. Yeah Write’s weekly prompt is “We want to be left alone.”