I can still recall the hours
spent dragging the giant
Dobsonian Telescope from the house
into the yard, back or front
depending on his demands.
Then together we would aim
the beast, a simple tube really,
with precisely placed lenses
and mirrors, and he would
peer through the eyepiece
and tell me what we were staring at.
Actually he was staring, but he
would give me a peek if
the object was worth it
in his esteemed estimation.
We did this off and on
for about five years before
he upgraded telescopes
and at twelve, no longer
needed my assistance.
Today he is a professor
of astronomy and astrophysics
and my back still aches.