Orion

Orion was always my favorite constellation. I never thought about the tilt of the Earth and star movement much. It just seemed that every time I looked for him, he was there. Last winter I thought about it for the first time. The previous summer I grew used to seeing him above me in the sky every night when I took the boys out. Then, as the weather turned cold, he left me. I began looking every night for him, as I shivered waiting for my dogs to complete their business. I went out at different times, but my prince in the sky failed to appear. It occurred to me for the first time that maybe during different seasons the Earth’s tilt was such that he was out of view from Ohio. I was thrilled when he returned in the spring, and said hello each night all summer.

I never thought about where he had gone, only that he had returned. So I was ecstatic to look up one night as I waited for my dog in the cold night air to see my prince above me. The sky here most nights is quite clear, and he showed beautifully between the trees and apartment buildings at midnight. So although there are no foreigners in my town, I can still say goodnight to my handsome prince.