Today, after nine years travelling three billion miles, the new Horizons space craft will get our first `close up` of the planet Pluto.  Which is as good an excuse as any for re-posting this revised and frolic `religious` version of what the entire celestial thing was about in the first place. (It`s pure, spectacular,  poetry fodder man - pure poetry fodder!) . 

(A frolic)

To God the stars may be only small and dear like diamonds
(G.K. Chesterton)

What`s the fuss for? Don`t they know
That Christ – a million years ago –
Hung Venus in the sky one night
Entirely for my delight?
And seeing, with his always-now-eyes,
Just how much it pleased me so
Laughed, and cried `surprise! Surprise!
Then, springing space-ward with a. shout,
(Baying the moon as he went out)
Boomed, `Look!` and clear across the sky
Flamencoe`d with his head held high.
Scintillant from his heel-scorch spurning
Glory showers of glittering stars.
He clapped, and Jupiter jumped out burning
Grimaced - sternly muttered Mars,
Whooped Pluto from his laughing lips,
Spun Saturn from his finger-tips,
Crowed Uranus and, full of play,
Under a rift of dark he lay
And carolled forth the Milky Way.

He rose then and imperiously
Pointed the Pole-Star to it`s place.
Assumed a sudden-solemn face
And (clearing Libra from his throat)
Sang the Pole-Star`s company.
Each an individual note
Turned elegant Ice-gem cold and clear
To light the Northern Hemisphere.

He gathered all the star`s around then
In the centre of the sky
And said some secret thing. The sound
Of what he said just passed me by.
The sight of what he did, likewise,
Was – just a little – beyond my eyes.
But though denied
The full sight and the clear word,
I half-saw and I half-heard
Muff eared and mist-eyed.

All around
Was a sound
Of camp-fire chanting –
Full of longing –
Strange incanting.
Star-crowds thronging
Forth and back in surge and lapse.
Deep quiets, thunder-claps!
Long draws
Of catch-breath wonder
Spilled in cataracts of applause,
Shafts of light
Punched – probed the darkness – sundered,
And swiftly swept wide arcs of night.
Then, as a tumult neared the height
Of wild crescendo, all the rush
Was reined in awesome expectation,
And in that audiental hush
Christ, with words of consecration,
Swiftly a silver chalice raised
Triumph-high in elevation.
And fitly his Holy Father praised
With wonder–words that soared and strayed
And gloriously ricocheted
Round the whorl of all creation.
And all creation with a loud shout
Answered as Christ in jubilation
Emptied all the chalice out.
A spilth, that down the Southern night
Glittered, and made the darkness light
With whirling galaxies, diamond-dust nebulae,
And constellar cluster worlds treasure-bright.

He then spoke low and the glistening dark
Up-rose, a velvet Negro-maid,
Who, in night`s jewellery arrayed,
Danced like David before the Ark.
And a tinkle-tune her jewels played,
While the light they shed as they counter-swayed
Against her moving shook like sheer
Light from a crystal chandelier.
As Christ, playing the fond Emir,
(Turban a-tilt) with quickening claps
Urged her faster as round she whirled
Until she was a core of dark
Within a silver cyclone furled.
Then his eyes grew mischief – his purpose, lark.
She sensed, and shrieked out mock-alarms,
But still he tripped her, and she collapsed
Laughing into his saving arms.
And for an instant they stood chortling there,
Star-heaped maid and Christ Emir,
Till, gathering his dignity
He gave her a paternal pat 
And winked her a grave adieu, and she,
Grinning like the Cheshire Cat,
Faded to anonymity.

Then he turned around and looked at me (His eyes
Were other worlds of stars) Stepped down from the outer skies,
And with compassion soothed immense
Oblivion over all my sense –
Granted as I slumbered bright,
Broad recognition to my sight,
Accomplished what he`d begun,
And woke me…with the morning sun