VII: Helios Gives His Son an (Unheeded) Star Map

“If you must drive my fiery chariot,” said Helios,

“here is what to expect: a circling zodiac

of constellations, divided into twelve parts.

Around this circuit meander planets

each a god, each with its own cycle—

Cronus the slowest, moving thirty degrees

in two-plus years. Moon takes one month

to go the same distance. Cronus is outermost,

then Zeus circles the Zodiac in a long year.

Each quarter of the Zodiac is a season,

each in turn, spring to winter, invariable.

Moon measures months, I the Earth’s year.

Most perilous is the tipping point,

the shadowy nadir of the year, solstice.

Most distracting are inner planets.

Hold steady through the Zodiac’s road.

Stay in place, no matter the comets and flares.

Don’t rush. Finish each house’s degrees.”