Thursday, June 7, 2007

You Think Galileo Was a Great One





You think Galileo was a great one,
but he wrote heresy in 1632.
He wrote, " Copernicus is right,
        our earth circles the sun,
        not the other way around. "
You think Galileo was a great one,
but in 1633 he did recant so he would not burn.



Now you too believe
that to the sun belong the planets,
that we live on one example of them,
our sun-centered revolution,
a scientific revelation,
from a genius then among them,
a religious revolution,
insult to god above them.


One way or another,
believers go early, but truth stays late.


Yes, die for your country to get a plaque.
Yes, die for your religion to get guaranteed heaven.
But why die for your science to get guaranteed hell?
Why should you burn for your solar system?
Is the martyr more hero than the genius?
We well know how to make you a martyr,
but we lack the weapon to make you a genius.


How can you resist?
How can you insist:
that Earth is a sphere,
if it is healthier to talk "flat"?
that we came from evolution,
if the inquisition favors special creation?
that all peoples are equal,
if we preach one-ethnic perfection?


Recant today so you will not burn.
Choose humbly to not believe what you believe.
Humility is a sign of greatness.
For everybody knows and the Bible humbly shows
our Earth to be center to the universe.


You think Galileo was a great one
for finding the motion of the pendulum,
the equal rates of falling objects,
and, of course, our telescope.
But then he wrote that Copernicus is right.
You think Galileo was a great one
—but then he did recant
—but then he did not burn.





You Think Galileo Was a Great One
Bob Komives



Fort Collins (c) 1996  :: You Think Galileo Was a Great One :: ,9606

No comments:

Post a Comment

your thoughts?