"Gus the Comet"
...a poem by Actaeon 

written and posted March 23, 1997


A twin-tailed omen rises
To dazzle
To remind
All is fleeting

No Battle of Hastings this
In the silent light
I will forever
Think of him

(Gus
You are my comet
A glowing flame
Cut short by fate
Two stars enter
Lights fade
No stars leave
You are alive
But out of touch
Beyond the haze
Even you can tell
Something is missing)

Hyakutake -- A night of intimacy

On the lawn
On my back
For an hour
Gus and I beneath the night
Fire above
Fire within
Around us
Upon us
In us
We drain our shooting stars
Until only the comet remains
To guide us home

(I heard the news
One day past Christmas
My cruel gift
I still held hope
The flame could rise again)

Hale-Bopp -- A night of sorrow

Again the greeting
The long tongue
The leaping paws
But heavy heart
The heat is gone
My touch rejected
He wanders home
Distracted
Confused
It is
At last
Over

The comet looms
A bitter omen

Comets
Like dogs
Shine brightly
Then fade

Treasure them
Cherish them
Love them
Hold them while you can
Before the fire dies
And they are gone